A City Built on Bones
by Grey Goose 74
Summary: A Dark Naruto Harem. Naruto leaves Konoha in an attempt to save Sasuke from Orochimaru but things go wrong and he never returns. Now years later a new Naruto with the ability to control peoples minds emerges to set his master plan in action.
1. The Way I Am

**A/N:** This story, like everything else is a random idea I came up with while writing one of my other stories. I've read tons of Dark Naruto Fics but to be honest I haven't found any I actually like either because they are too cheesy/cliché like the author is trying way too hard to make Naruto cool or it's just one dumb idea stacked over another the entire time.

But don't get me wrong I haven't read every one on this site so it's not like I'm trying to insult anyone in particular since I do search in a very narrow scope( which might explain my problem), but I'm going to focus on the things that I'd like to see in other people's stories.

Naruto will be dark but he won't be an omniscient being with no emotions like everyone else likes to do. He will still be himself to a point but there will be huge changes as well.

Also this is a Harem so be prepared from the start, I have this as a Naru x Ino story because the story is going to be told mostly from Naruto's and Ino's perspective and because she plays an important role in the story. Tayuya is in this as well, I'm not sure where I'm going to draw the line but be prepared for Sakura and Hinata, I'm not taking them out so don't ask.

Just as a side note: there will be rape, A LOT of Yuri, and bondage to some degree, and any other kind of freaky stuff I can think of later on. If this doesn't sound like something you want then read then continue at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I do however own a laptop and apparently that's just as good.

"speaking"

_Thinking _

**Kyuubi **

**Jutsu**

Chapter 1: The Way I Am

The cold brisk air blew quietly against Ino's skin causing goose bumps to form along her soft skin of her toned yet feminine arms. She was running through the forest in an all out sprint yet she wasn't making an audible sound.

She travelled across the field and towards her destination with an absolute determination that couldn't be shaken. She had a mission and she wouldn't default on it at all cost even if it meant her life.

She found a clear area and decided it was a good spot to scout the area. She looked up into the sky and waited a few minutes for a target to introduce itself. She spotted an opening and prepared herself.

**Shintenshin no Jutsu**

Ino's body went limp as a raven was struck with the well aimed jutsu. While in control of the raven Ino flew over the watch towers of the city and circled around a few times just to make sure she counted the number of targets correctly.

Ino released the Jutsu and felt the weight of her body returning as she gained consciousness and stood up from the tree she let her body fall against.

" How many", a dark feminine voice spoke softly.

" Eight guarding the north gate, four ANBU beyond that.", Ino replied without turning around.

"Ha this really is too easy sometimes, we should take our positions and stand guard until we receive further orders", the voice commented.

" Understood", Ino said without looking back as she shot out into a sprint leaning forwards as he legs flung her across the ground at lightning speed.

She jumped over the wall of the city and dived into the shadows to avoid the line of sight from a guard no more than 30 feet away. He seemed startled by her entrance but he didn't see a single thing.

The guard looks around and starts to take a few steps to investigate the disturbance he felt when a needle stuck him in the neck. He grabbed at the needle as a gasp escaped his mouth but his eyes shut closed and his body went limp dropping before dropping to the floor unconscious.

Ino walked over to the guard and pulled the needle out before going through his pockets and taking some keys along with all his kunai and some explosive tags. This was a light mission so she only packed 5 needles dosed in a potent sedative.

She finished raiding the guard and jumped back into the dark after stashing his body in a bush. Ino glided through the city that she knew so well jumping from allyway to rooftop so gracefully she looked like she was being pulled by unknown forces.

Her destined zone came into sight and she lunged to the specified corner of the rooftop. From her position she had a clear view of the Hokage Tower as well as a perfect view of the south gate.

She crouched down low and leaned against a neighboring building successfully masking herself in the shadow that it casted. She was to stand guard and be ready to help in the rare chance that they needed to escape hastily.

She smiled as she thought about her fearless leader, if it weren't for him she would be the person she was today.

* * *

Naruto was leaning against the wall of the Hokage's office with his signature fox-like grin.

" C'mon Baa-chan, how about for old times sake", He pleaded with an almost sinister cocky grin.

" Naruto-kun I can't allow you to take Konoha property if you're a missing nin, besides what are you planning to do with them ?", Tsunade asked the Jinchuriki.

" It's my property and it belongs to me ! What I do with it is my own business", Naruto stated firmly.

" Naruto-kun you are in no position to come in here and demand things of me !",Tsuande said losing her kind and caring tone for a serious threatening one.

Naruto sighed and drooped his shoulders in a mix of mild annoyance and fatigue. He had been arguing with Tsuande for fifteen minutes and she was still denying him a simple curtsey.

" Baa-chan those scrolls belonged to my father and they should have been passed on to me, those are jutsus he invented ! How am I not entitled to them ?", Naruto asked softly as he tried to reason with the Sannin.

Tsunade frowned, she knew he was right and after all the village had done to him he definitely deserved those scrolls but she couldn't hand over secrets of Konoha to a Missing Nin.

" Naruto-kun I want to.. I really do but--"

She was interrupted as a pair of lips abruptly cut her off. Before she knew it she was against the wall with her hands expertly pinned down and Naruto pressing himself against her while his tongue probed her mouth.

Her tongue played with his while he tasted her eventually she slide her tongue into his mouth and reciprocated his ministrations. Her tongue brushed and rolled against Naruto's battling fiercely in a fury of passion. They remained like that for several minutes until Naruto broke the kiss.

Tsuande looked away still panting heavily and looking very flushed from the passionate kiss. She looked up at Naruto who was now sitting in her chair with his feet up on her desk.

" Naruto-kun..", She started in between desperate pants.

"…. That was very inappropriate!", she reprimanded.

Naruto's lips parted in a cocky grin, " But you loved it didn't you Baa-chan ? You certainly didn't stop me".

Tsuande's cheeks felt like they were on fire as she blushed feverously. She rubbed her forearm and looked away at the ground as she tried to find an answer for her actions.

" It's nothing to be embarrassed about, you are a woman after all. Tsuande we shouldn't play these games anymore, I know you have a soft spot for me which is why you never call the guards when I'm here so just let me have the scrolls and I'll leave.", Naruto said as he looked around the room just now noticing the small changes in the office from the last time he visited.

" What makes you think I'm going to break down just like that ?", Tsunade asked after a moment of thinking.

" Maybe you're right, I shouldn't underestimate the will of a strong-minded woman.", He said as he sighed deeply.

" Listen Baa-chan I'm kinda tired so If you really have to be this difficult we can continue in the morning.", He said as he stood up and stretching yawning very loudly as he walked over to her.

She tensed up as got very close to her but she relaxed when she felt his lips press against hers again, just as she started to kiss him back he pulled away and walked towards the window.

" Come back tomorrow, I'll have them both for you. Just promise me you'll never use the Shiki Fūjin !", Tsunade pleaded.

Naruto stopped at the window and his cocky smile returned, " If it comes down to it I might have to, just pray that I'm strong enough to not need to.", and with that he went through the window and disappeared into the night.

Tsuande stood in her office confused how technically a genin could get away with the things that Naruto did to her. It was the first time he had ever kissed her but she should have expected so much seeing how he turned out over the years.

At this point he was as perverted as Jiraiya maybe even more so but unlike the toad sannin he had the confidence and skill to get what he wanted. She turned away from the window and decided to head to her bedroom, it had been a long night and tomorrow she had a favor she needed to complete.

* * *

Ino stared at the brilliant moon shining in the night's sky, it was such a beautiful sight it almost made her forget why she was in Konoha in the first place. She was distracted from her thoughts as a kunai was dropped from the sky by a dark feathered bird.

The weapon dropped down straight into the roof going a few inches deep, Ino stepped out of the shadows and grabbed it ripping off the note wrapped around the handle. She unwrapped it and read over its contents.

_Plan D , meet at the destination ASAP. _

Ino set the piece of paper on fire and jumped from underneath the shadows towards her new destination. She was surprised they would resort to plan D but it was a welcomed change of pace.

She could use the little vacation although she knew she probably shouldn't get to comfortable. Ino re-focused on the task at hand and moved expertly around the city until she reached the small apartment building before jumping to the ground and patting the south wall before finding the hidden entrance.

She opened the hatch and crawled inside navigation through the tight quarters of a large air vent for several minutes until she climbed out and found herself in a large room. She closed the door to the vent behind her and locked it tightly.

" Took you long enough you lazy bitch", a cold voice laughed.

Ino just smiled, " You fucking slut who told you you're allowed to use Kirio, my raven is for scouting purposes only not to deliver massages that you aren't skilled enough to deliver in person."

" It's not my fault I found a better use for your pet"

Ino sighed as she walked over to the other woman and grabbed one of the bottles of sake that was set on the counter next to her.

" What are our plans for tomorrow, are we on alert all day or can we get some air ?", Ino asked the woman next to her.

The mysterious woman had long red hair that flowed sensuously from the sides of her black bandana which was tied tightly around her head. She had on tight black Capri pants with a thick blood red cloth-like belt hanging from the left side. She was wearing a tight grey long sleeve shirt with loose sleeves that covered her hands and had slits on the sides as well as a very large u-shaped neck which showed a lot of cleavage.

" I'm not sure yet, you should ask Naruto-Sama what are orders are if you're curious", she said as she took a long sip of her sake.

Ino frowned, " Tayuya you shouldn't drink so much, you're a complete slut when you're drunk".

" Oh and what's wrong about that ?", Tayuya said in a seductive tone as she leaned closer to Ino and licked her lips.

"Naruto-Sama might want to get some sleep tonight so it would be wise if you aren't hounding him for sex all night", Ino said ignoring Tayuya who was getting closer and closer to her.

Ino felt Tayuya grabbed her hips and pressed herself against the blonde she leaned forward and locked lips with her. Ino kissed back and brought her arms around Tayuya's neck as they kissed passionately.

Tayuya parted her lips ever so slightly and slide her tongue out and let it brush against Ino's full lips. Ino granted the redhead entrance and moaned as she felt her mouth being explored by the foreign tongue.

Ino brushed her own tongue against Tayuya's and twirled it slightly trying to wrestle with the older girl. Tayuya's hand moved from Ino's hip to her ass and squeezed her plump ass as hard as she could causing Ino to moan into her mouth. They stood there making out for a few minutes until Ino broke the kiss.

" We shouldn't be fooling around right now, we're still on a mission remember ?", Ino said forcing herself away from the redhead and sat down on the small couch in the room so she could take off her gear.

"Aww you fucking tease", Tayuya complained as she took down the rest of her bottle and took a seat on the couch next to Ino.

" Is Naruto-sama asleep ?", Ino asked as she removed her boots and weaponry.

" I don't think so but he looked irritated so I didn't want to disturb him, he's in his room", Tayuya said as she started rubbing Ino's thigh slowly letting her hand move closer and closer up Ino's skirt.

" I'm worried about him, he's been rather reclusive lately", Ino said as she got up leaving a very horny Tayuya to herself on the couch. Tayuya groaned in frustration at the lost of her 'sex kitten', as she liked to call Ino.

" I'll be back, If you're really that horny just play with yourself until I get back or maybe if you're lucky Naruto-sama will be in the mood", Ino called back as she left the room and walked through the small apartment.

They were in the remains of Naruto's old apartment building which he turned into a hidden base years ago after it was closed down. On the outside it was an old boarded up dilapidated apartment complex but on the inside it was a well taken care of base which connect to all the separate apartments in the building into one.

Since it was boarded up and in a bad part of town no one bothered to tear it down and since Naruto made a deal with Tsunade to preserve the land since it wasn't in demand anyway.

All the small cramped apartments on the top floor were turned into a large living room and a master bedroom with the individual rooms of the original housings turned into guest rooms or equipment rooms.

It took a lot of work and effort but almost all the interior had been redone to fit Naruto's needs.

Ino walked through room after room towards the back off the top floor with the large double doors that led to the master bedroom. She tapped on the door lightly because she knew the Kyuubi had enhanced Naruto's sense of smell, taste, and hearing.

"Come in", a deep masculine voice beckoned.

She pushed opened the door slightly and stepped inside to see the massive bed the filled the room. Naruto stood sitting on the side of the bed that faced the window which his hands resting on his knees.

He was hunched over and his head hung low so Ino could not see his face. He was only wearing black ninja pants and his bare back was onlined in the moonlight. His back and chest were covered in strange symmetrical black markings that resembled an elabotate tattoo.

" Master, may I speak to you? You've been very withdrawn lately and I was worried about you", Ino confessed as she approached him.

" I'm fine, the seal is getting weak, that's all", Naruto said as he stood up.

His muscular body covered in the demonic markings made him look more like a god than a man to Ino and she had to fight her impulses so she wouldn't throw herself at him in lust.

" Is there anything I can do to help, Tayuya and I will do anything we can !", Ino pledged as she walked up to his side.

" There's nothing you can do. We all have to fight our own inner demons in life, mine just happens to actually be a demon though", Naruto said with chuckle as he turned to Ino.

His irises were glowing red and his pupils were thin slits, Ino just jumped to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She buried her head in his chest and exhaled deeply. Naruto wrapped his arms around Ino's back embracing her lovingly.

" It's not funny master, you shouldn't joke about such morbid things", Ino scolded him as she tried to stop herself crying.

" Be strong Ino, I won't leave you or Tayuya, I promise." Naruto said as he squeezed her tighter.

"I know, but it's my job to worry. Tayuya can be careless sometimes so I take it upon myself to worry if things are going to go wrong.", Ino told him.

" Good, but doubt is you're enemy. Once someone destroys your resolve your body is soon to follow. You and Tayuya should have some fun tomorrow you've both been working really hard recently and this is one of the few breaks we get from Orochimaru. Just make sure to blend in as Leaf Nin, I need my solitude right now but I'll see you in the morning okay ?", Naruto whispered softly into her ear.

" Alright Master, sleep well", Ino said as she leaned forward and kissed Naruto passionately before parting and taking her leave closing the large doors behind her.

She walked through the rooms slightly irritated at the whole situation. She knew that when the Kyuubi was fighting against Naruto he needed his peace but she disliked sleeping so far away from him.

Ino walked back into the kitchen to find Tayuya on the couch with her pants off rubbing herself through her red and white striped panties.

" Is Naruto-sama coming out ?", Tayuya asked as Ino sat down on another couch opposite of the one Tayuya was on.

" He's trying to calm the Kyuubi again so we won't be seeing him tonight", Ino informed her with sorrow.

Tayuya growled in anger but continued to touch herself. Ino watched her with mild interest but only because she was looking for something to distract her from Naruto. He had to battle with the Kyuubi more and more lately and it broke her heart to see the man she loved slowly being devoured from the inside out.

" I'm going to bed", Ino announced as she got and started to leave the room before Tayuya stopped her.

" Wait !Naruto-sama will be fine, you need to stop worrying about him. He's never broken a damn promise to us and he's not going to start now so have some fucking faith !" she yelled to her blonde compatriot.

Ino smiled at her, " I know Tayuya, I just need some rest I'm exhausted. We're going out to have some fun tomorrow so get some sleep because I'm leaving early with or without you".

" Where the fuck are we going ?", Tayuya demanded.

" Shopping, maybe the hot springs and to get that Ramen which Naruto-sama loves so much", she said before she left.

Ino head towards her room and locked herself inside. She really was tired and she didn't want to have to worry about Tayuya stumbling in her room for sex in the middle of the night. She stripped because she preferred sleeping naked and cuddled up in the warm sheets.

As she laid there she reminisced of how her new life came to be.

**FLASH BACK (start) **

Ino was sitting in a hospital room looking down at the hole in the chest of a young boy. Sakura and Ino had both been volunteering since the sound four had taken Sasuke because most of the injured were their own teammates.

Everyone that went against them was utterly defeated and sent back complexly unconscious or with their tails between their legs. Despite all the battling going on Naruto still seemed to have it the worst.

Not only did he get beaten within an inch of his life but by the person he was trying to protect too. Ino remembers being pushed out of the way as Tsunade grabbed Naruto's body from the bed Kakashi brought him to and ran down the hall to the OR.

Everyone from the Konoha 11 was brought in one after another from the battle but Naruto had come in last and in Kakashi's arms. Kakashi put him in the first room he found which Ino happened to be in as well and ran to go get a nurse.

Ino had never seen Tsunade appeared so shaken up, it looked like the Hokage was going to break down and cry in grief at just the sight of Naruto's body. Ino herself felt guilty that she wasn't out there fighting with them, which was why she rushed to the hospital to help out and do her share.

From that day Ino had a very different opinion of Naruto, he didn't seem like the immature prankster anymore but a troubled youth who would risk his life for those he loved.

He was out for over a week but when he came to he was overwhelmed with misery that Sasuke got away. As soon as he got out of the hospital he started planning his rescue relentlessly until he decided he was going to rescue Sasuke by himself.

The day he decided to leave was burned into Ino's memory because that was the last time she talked to the Naruto that Konoha had known. From that point on that Naruto died and from the ashes a stronger being was born, not from hate or resentment but from grief.

Ino walked into Naruto's room since he was going to be released the following day because she thought it would be her last chance to talk to him before he went on another mission and continue his life goal as being Hokage. The boy was sitting up in his bed staring out the window at the sunset completely mesmerized by it beautiful.

" Hey Naruto", Ino said as she approached his bed.

His grazed didn't stray from the horizon, " Hey'.

"I brought you some flowers", Ino said as she placed them in the empty vase next to his bed.

He turned around and offered her a smile that quickly faded as soon as they broke eye contact.

"Thanks Ino, the ones Baa-chan got me died".

"Are you going to be okay ?", Ino asked sympathetically.

"I'll be fine", Naruto replied simply.

"Naruto you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to Sasuke, it was something he did on his own accord", Ino said.

"I know but I'm bringing him back either way", Naruto said stoically.

"Naruto you can't mean that, I talked to Sakura and she's just as mad at him as everyone else is. You don't have to do this for her !", Ino said trying to talk some sense into him.

"I'm not doing It for her, I'm doing It for everyone.", Naruto informed her.

"Everyone ?", Ino asked confused.

"Sasuke has no right to leave this village that has done nothing but love him, he has no right to turn his back on me, on Sakura, and on Kakashi. He owes each and every one of us for not only being his friend but helping him whenever we could. As his teammate and as his friend he owes me more than that bullshit speech about his stupid brother", Naruto said getting louder and louder as he went.

"I'm going to bring him back because I didn't just promised Sakura, I promised myself and I never go back on my promises, that's my nindo ! You can tell anyone you want but no one is stopping me I'm going back to get Sasuke so he can apologize to those that he hurt and pay for his crimes", Naruto declared boldly.

"He may be like a brother to me but he can't get his life together unless he does the right thing and I won't stop until I get the Sasuke I knew back, that Sasuke wouldn't have abandoned his friends", Naruto said sadly.

Ino just stood there shocked at how determined he sounded but she didn't try to change his mind. She didn't even know what to say after hearing a declaration that strong, so she said nothing at all. She placed that thought in the back of her mind and when Naruto disappeared that night she knew he left after Sasuke but was too afraid to say a word to anyone.

It wasn't until after Tsunade sent out search parties did she confess to the Hokage. For the following month Tsunade sent search party after search party to find Naruto but none of them found a trace of him.

She was finally forced to give up her efforts but Jiraiya decided to look for Naruto in his spare time. Naruto was considered M.I.A from that point on and was never found. Ino always held herself responsible for his disappearance since she was the only one he told about his plan.

She carried the guilty with her for years after even though everyone blamed Sakura for pushing Naruto so hard to bring Sasuke back but eventually everyone took their own share of the fault.

Everything got quiet without Naruto and everyone sorely missed him since he seemed to bring everyone together. Sakura took it the hardest since she had always been mean to Naruto and was the one who asked him to bring Sasuke back in the first place.

Since that day forward she searched for him relentlessly whenever she got the chance but all the leads she'd follow turned up to be dead ends. Eventually she gave up since even Tsunade couldn't find him.

Even the Jonins were affected by his absence; Asuma and Kakashi were particularly distraught. Asuma had always liked Naruto and without Naruto his nephew Konohamaru lost his will to strive, he no longer tried in anything he did and became more hopeless than Shikamaru but without the genius level intelligence to make up for his slack.

Naruto was his role model so without the goal of surpassing his idol he just didn't feel motivated to do anything and even gave up his dream of becoming Hokage.

Kakashi went into a brief depression since the only team he ever passed fell apart because of him. He always failed genin because he was more concerned about his teachings being misused and as fate would have it the only team he was ever confident in tore itself apart all because of him. He showed favoritism towards Sasuke after a while and at one point even refused to train Naruto for the chunnin exams.

He wasn't trying to be mean or hurt Naruto's feelings but he felt like his teachings would be wasted on Naruto and were better suited for Sasuke. And his reward was finding out that the Jutsu he spent a whole month teaching Sasuke was used to put a hole in Naruto's chest, all his teachings were used for the very opposite purpose he intended.

With Asuma so down team eight shared in the anguish and Ino couldn't have felt worst knowing she could have stopped all this from happening. Despite the lost of two comrades the Konoha 11 pushed on.

**Two Years 1/2 Pass Since Naruto Left **

Ino was walking through the streets toward one of the training grounds. It was getting late but she had been restless lately and desperately wanted to improve. She still didn't know what her specialty was and everyone seem to be surpassing her more and more everyday.

She tried being a medical nin like Sakura but she got left in the dust so fast that she didn't even notice at first the huge gaps in hers and Sakura's skill level. Ino tried to make up with it by excelling in other areas but it was an extremely long and slow process.

Everything had been rather quiet and uneventful but she didn't really talk to her friends anymore. It was just her team and Sakura when she got the chance, everyone has been slowly drifting in other directions since Naruto had been declared either dead or a defector.

Ino had about another hour or two before diner so she decided that she'd start squeezing in all the training she could in her free time. As she walked towards the training ground for team 8 she heard something that sounded like a small explosion.

She froze, the training grounds were at the edge of the city so there was a chance it could be actual danger but who would be attacking Konoha. She decided to check it out telling herself it was probably just some Jonin sparring.

She ran through the dense foliage as her curiosity clouded her judgment and jumped onto a tall branch so she could get to a better look. In the distance she could hear the familiar crackle of flames burning and she could see the smoke up ahead.

Ino ran faster as she closed in on the source of the flames. She stopped high in a branch as she heard the two voices talking.

" Ahhwwg, what did I tell you ?", someone said sounding slightly irritated but somehow amused.

" How was I suppose to know, the little fucker was making so much noise it could have been anything ! I was only trying to keep you safe, it could have been an enemy.", an angry women said defensively.

" I know but don't you think you overdid it a little, that rabbit is charred beyond recognition now and you set a ton of trees on fire. That smoke might attract unwanted guest.", the first voice said in a forgiving tone.

" I understand, I'm sorry master", woman said in shame.

" Don't apologize we just have to relocate, since you're feeling so bold today we can actually try your plan this time",

" Do you mean it ? It'll be so much fucking fun I swear you'll love it ! Plus those bastards won't see it coming.", she said sounding very excited.

"Hmm looks like it's too late, you wanna handle it or should I ?", The man asked sounding slightly bored.

" It was my fault, I'll deal with it", the woman said happily before spinning around and launching six kunai at Ino's position.

_Oh Shit !, _Ino thought as she tried to avoid the oncoming barrage of knifes but was caught off guard in the process and sent flying by a well aimed kick to the gut. Things were moving too fast for her to follow and by the time she realized she was kicked it was too late.

She was on the ground with someone's arm around her neck using the joint of the elbow to choke her. Ino coughed and struggled as she was pulled to her feet but soon the arm was retracted and a Kunai was poised at her jugular.

Ino felt a wave of panic hit her as she realized that she already lost. The kunai was pressing against her neck breaking the skin and causing blood to trickle down her neck, whoever had her really meant business.

"Alright bitch, lights out!", the mysterious woman said happily.

Ino was scared stiff, she had never been so close to death then she was now and it was the most terrifying experience in her life. She was really going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

" Wait !", a voice yelled.

" Why ? Keeping her alive would only be a liability!", the woman said in disappointed.

"Is that you Ino ?", the man asked in confusion.

Ino snapped out of her fear at the mention of her name, she turned over to see the man that she was watching from a distance a few moments ago. He had shaggy long blonde hair that stopped about three above his shoulders and deep blue eyes.

He was wearing a formal battle kimono that consisted of a white top and black pants with a orange rope wrapped around his waist(basically what sasuke has but sasuke has a purple belt). There was one thing that stuck out though, his whiskers.

" N-N-Naruto ?", Ino spoke still frighten but more shocked than anything else.

His face broke into his classic fox-like grin, " The one and only", he said happily as he pointed to himself proudly with his thumb.

He walked over to her still with his shit eating grin plastered to his face.

Ino started at him in complete disbelief, _Oh my god he's gorgeous! This can't be Naruto he's totally different it's almost scary. What the hell is going on ? They declared him as being dead almost a year ago but here he is right in front of me !!_

" It's been a while huh ?", He said scratching his head sheepishly bringing her back from her thoughts.

" Naruto what are you doing here ?! Everyone thinks you're dead ! Where the hell have you been all this time? How come you haven't told everyone you're still alive?", Ino spat out as she started to feel overwhelmed by the ghost she was being forced to believe was really her long lost comrade.

" Whoa one question at a time", Naruto joked as he laughed merrily at Ino's reaction.

" Tayuya you can let her go, she's an old friend", He said to the woman still holding Ino at knifepoint.

" Grr fine", Tayuya huffed as she let go.

Ino looked at the violent redhead behind her but chose to get back to Naruto.

" I've been in Otogakure training with Orochimaru. I came back to speak with Baa-chan", Naruto said in a serious tone.

" But why ? Why would you train with Orochimaru and what do you need to talk about with Tsuande-sama?", Ino asked still as confused as before.

Naruto just sighed at her questions, " I couldn't beat Sasuke and it's the only way I can keep up with him. I realized when I found him that he never cared about anyone besides himself but seeing him and Orochimaru opened my eyes".

" I was stupid and naïve to think that becoming Hokage would change anything around here, if I really want the respect and safety for my precious people there's only one thing I can do", Naruto said in a grim voice.

" What is that ?", Ino asked truly moved by Naruto's maturity.

" Start my own hidden village", Naruto proclaimed with a grin on his face.

" Your own village ?! Naruto you can't just start a village because you feeling like it, how on earth do you plan on accomplishing that ?", Ino asked sarcastically.

" I'm going to kill Orochimaru and Sasuke and take over Otogakure and turn the remains into a new village, one that won't mistreat its citizens and that isn't corrupt. It will be easy once Orochimaru falls since most of Oto is filled with Nin desperate for a leader, all I'd have to do is build over the wreckage", Naruto said as he took a seat on a stump.

" Why do you want to kill Sasuke ?", Ino asked now feeling scared again.

_If Naruto would murder the man he thought of as of a brother, what would he do to the rest of Konoha who mistreated him for years? _

" To show him he's wrong." Naruto said bluntly.

" Wrong about what ?", Ino inquired.

" About everything in his life that he holds so dear; His thirst for revenge, his traitorous ways, and his pompous attitude just because he was born to a powerful clan. I want to show him that he sacrificed everything for nothing "

Then Ino felt a frightening force as Naruto stood up abruptly, his eyes glowing a deep red and his fist shaking in anger.

" When you want to hurt someone like Sasuke you can only attack their pride, nothing else matters to him. He cares about no one other than himself so you can't influence him with loved ones, and he would take whatever pain you could give to him as long as his pride is intact."

" But if you hurt his pride…he collapses, and in the end that's all Sasuke ever cared about. I'm going to break him Ino, make him regret every decision he has ever made, show him that despite all his efforts and sacrifices at the end of the day a failure like me was the one who defeated him. He'll have those thoughts haunting before I kill him", Naruto said in almost a trance.

" But is that really worth it ? Do you think that will make things better ?", Ino asked timidly, she still wasn't sure what this new Naruto was capable of.

"Don't you see ! Sasuke stabbed each of us in the back one by one and thinks that he can use our corpses as stairs to sleaze his way to the top. I'm going to knock him off his high horse and end his worthless life so such a despicable clan never walks the earth again ", Naruto said in a deep blood thirsty voice.

Ino started to step back slowly in fear, _This isn't Naruto, it cant be him! Naruto would never say something like that, he's crazy and dangerous now !_

Naruto's body relaxed as his eyes turned back blue and his cocky grin returned, " Do you still want to know why I'm here?", he asked back in his friendly demeanor.

" Y-yes", Ino stuttered in fear.

Naruto turned around and pointed to a small symbol on the back of his Kimono right under his neck. It was a small swirling design that Ino recognized from the old clothing he wore.

" What's that Symbol for ?"

He turned around with an even bigger grin, " It's my clan symbol", he said proudly.

_Clan symbol ? Only powerful bloodlines have clan symbols, either his clan must have a bloodline trait or they are all really power shinobi but I've never heard anything about the Uzumaki Clan. _

" But enough of that, why don't we catch up since I haven't seen you in years", He stopped and turned towards his accomplish.

" Tayuya I'm putting you in charge of our new camp"

" It will be done Master", She said before jumping into the forest and disappearing without waiting for further instructions.

Ino watched her go in confusion, " Who is she ?".

" Don't worry about it right now, but how have you been ?", Naruto asked with a big smile.

" I've been okay but seriously what have you been doing in Otogakure, everyone has missed you so much. Tsuande-Sama and Sakura have been frantically looking for you for months.

Naruto sighed heavily, " I'm the only one that can build I place where everyone will be accepted, where people like me and Gaara don't have to worry about being used as tools or feared as demons. Somewhere without royal families and the political bullshit that turned Konoha to what is it today, I don't want anything to do with a place like this anymore"

" But didn't you miss us, what about all your friends and the people that really do care for you ?", Ino said feeling slightly hurt that Naruto didn't think of them.

" There are times were I feel sad because of all I missed out on here but it has to be done, but believe me I really wish it didn't have to be this way. Everything has changed so much", he turned to face Ino and they made eye contact.

" Especially you, you've become so beautiful over the years", He said as he reached out and gently cupped her cheek.

Ino's heart fluttered as his hand made contact with her cheek and she suddenly felt hot as blood rushed to her face turning her bright red.

A devious grin came on Naruto's face, " You shouldn't be embarrassed, it's the truth and you should hear It more often".

" Naruto !", She said in a flirty tone being caught absolutely speechless.

" C'mon its getting late", Naruto said as he looked up at the moon in the nights sky.

_Damn it I forgot about dinner ! How long have I been here ?_

" Are you coming ?", Naruto asked looking back at Ino from a few feet away.

" Where are we going ?", she asked as she walked up to him.

" Yes or no", He demanded.

" Okay", Ino said giving in and following him towards the city.

They walked through the city talking and laughing jovially to their unknown destination. Ino was having so much fun, she never knew Naruto was so funny or interesting but since his time away he compiled quite a few exciting stories.

He had been telling Ino about his many adventures in Otogakure and all the people he's met since then. His missions in Oto have been so dangerous and exciting compared to the missions Ino has been given over the years.

Ino laughed heartily as Naruto stopped in the middle of the street as he looked around at the surrounding buildings.

" Hmm here we are !" Naruto exclaimed as the made it to an old abandoned apartment building.

" Hey isn't this where you use to live ?", Ino said as she eyed the building suspiciously.

" Yep, let's go", Naruto said as he led her up the stairs and towards the door were he knock then immediately said something in code which Ino didn't understand.

The door opened and the redhead ushered them inside. The place looked pretty run down but Tayuya obviously made an attempt to clean up in the time they spent talking and reminiscing of old times.

Everything was falling apart and dusty besides the couch and some of the chairs which appeared recently tampered with.

" I spent most of the time attending to your room, I stole some fresh sheets and pillows from some of the neighboring houses", Tayuya reported as Naruto looked around the place.

" Thanks Tayuya, you're a life saver!", Naruto said happily as he motioned her to come towards him.

She walked up to him and he whispered something in her ear that she obviously wasn't too pleased about because she started pouting immediately.

" But Why ?! You really can't be sure already its too soon !", She complained.

" My instincts haven't failed me yet", Naruto said simply.

" I hate sharing !", Tayuya mumbled under her breath as she walked over to the couch and dropped herself on it.

" C'mon Ino", Naruto said as he turned around and walked to his old room without waiting to see if Ino was following him.

She walked in the room after him eyeing the place very closely. The redhead had taken the time to completely clean up the place and it appeared to have been recently swept and dusted along with the new sheets for the bed and some packs lying in the corner.

Ino took a seat on the bed since there were no chairs and looked around for anything of interest but turned to ask what his reason for dragging her here was. Naruto took a few steps towards her suddenly and started taking off his shirt.

"Naruto what are you doing ?", Ino asked in surprise.

He didn't answer her but walked closer and leaned forward capturing her in a kiss. Ino's stiffened up at the touch of his lips but she lowly relaxed and even started kissing him back. She opened her mouth just as he opened his and their tongues played with each other.

Naruto broke the kiss and Ino tried to move but saw that he had her pinned down with his hands and was now on top of her.

"Naruto, this is happening too fast. You need to stop!", She demanded but Naruto's face showed no recognition of her request.

He released one of his hands but only to start undoing her top. Ino freaked out and started to struggle frantically but the more she fought it the faster he worked her out of her clothes. Soon he discarded the purple top she was wearing and his hand went down to her skirt.

" Naruto I said stop!", Ino yelled in fear as she felt her skirt leaving her body.

She kicked and struggled under Naruto but he seemed to get stronger and stronger as time continued. He was slowly unwrapping her bandages with her free hand and then he ripped her bra in two and pulled the remains off her shoulders.

Ino was on the verge of crying in frustration as she just laid there helplessly as Naruto had his way with her. He released her other hand so he could grab her by the waist and pull down her panties.

Ino twisted her body and tried to get away but he just pulled her panties down further as she crawled away. She was completely naked now and almost off the bed before Naruto grabbed her ankle and yanked her back towards him.

He pulled out the belt and took off his pants in one shift motion before yanking his own boxers off and crawling on top of Ino who was in a panic at this point.

" Please Naruto ! Please don't do this, I know I was mean to you when we were little but I'm sorry! I won't tell anyone about you if you let me go I swear", She pleaded desperately as he grabbed her legs and forced her thighs open.

Naruto reached out and grabbed her by the throat so she wouldn't try to fight him anymore. She grabbed his hand and tried to pry it off but he was too strong. Tears streamed down her face in agony as she finally gave up.

Once she stopped resisted Naruto released his grip and as his hand retracted from her neck it reached out and grabbed her right breast. Ino moaned as she felt Naruto squeeze the large mound of flesh before his thumb and index fingers caught her erect nipple.

He pinched and pulled the pink nub ruthlessly causing Ino to squeal in pleasure underneath him. He leaned forward and caught the opposite nub in his mouth and nibble on it right below the point where it hurt.

Ino was squirming in pleasure as she danced the line that separated pain and pleasure. Naruto leaned back and grabbed both of her breasts so he could massage and kneed them. Warm tears were still falling down Ino's face but they were slowly ebbed by the pleasure Naruto was making her feel.

He stopped with her breast and started rubbing the head of his manhood against her wet pink lips. Ino gave him a throaty moan as he rubbed her dripping slit harder and harder. She leaned up on her elbows and then saw his manhood for the first time.

" Oh my god ,there's no way that's going to fit inside me", she pleaded but her cries fell upon deaf ears.

" Relax", was all he said as he grabbed her hips and thrusted inside her slowly going as deep as he could and breaking her barrier in one smooth motion.

Ino gasped in pain at the sudden shock of Naruto's penetration. Her tears were flowing wildly again as her body became aware of its current position. Naruto slowly started thrusting despites Ino crying pitifully underneath him.

He started off slow but after a few minutes he started getting impatient and threw restraint to the wind. He started pounding her with full force pulling almost all the way out before slamming back into her.

" Naruto it hurts, you're being too rough", Ino cried out in pain as Naruto fucked her like an animal.

Whenever it started to feel good he just fucked her harder ruining the pleasure for her and making her cry more in regret that she even found him in the first place.

" I hate you , I fucking hate you !", Ino yelled in between sobs as Naruto fucked her.

She tried to stop the tears but she didn't have control anymore. She closed her eyes and looked over to the side as Naruto rammed his huge cock into her again and again forcing her to moan even though she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Ino got use to the pain that pleasure slowly started seeping into her body until it consumed her like a powerful fire. With every thrust of Naruto she felt a ripple of pleasure rush through her body like a tsunami and it felt amazing.

She was panting heavily as their bodies collided over and over again and the feeling of Naruto filling her up became very pleasant. She closed her eyes and tried to Ignore the feelings she was getting but it only made it worst.

Without even knowing it her mouth was open and she was moaning and screaming his name. The unknown feeling was growing in her lower stomach and she felt like she was going explode. She grinded her teeth in rage at the fact that her body was enjoying the torture her mind had to endure.

"Stop it you monster !", Ino yelled.

Suddenly Naruto stopped thrusting and remained perfectly still.

Ino opened her eyes and looked up at him, he was staring at her with no real expression on his face. They sat there for a few seconds but the burning sensation in Ino's stomach started to eat away at her.

She was so close to cumming when he stopped and now she would go crazy if she didn't reach her orgasm.

_That fucking piece of shit, he did this on purpose. He just wants to humiliate me, I hate him so fucking much. I'll kill him !_

Grudgingly Ino started moving her hips slightly and closed her eyes as she welcomed the returning pleasure. She lost all control and started grinding herself into Naruto in desperation to cum.

Just as a moan escaped her mouth she felt two large hands grab her hips holding her in place. She looked up at him in disgust because she knew what he wanted to hear and she didn't want to say it but it looked like she had no choice.

She turned her head to the left again so she didn't have to look at him and closed her eyes hoping to find the strength to resist but she didn't.

" Fuck Me.", She said bitterly.

He didn't make a move. Ino turned around in anger and glared daggers at Naruto who seemed content in making her suffer.

" Didn't you hear me you stupid son of a bitch, I said FUCK ME !", She yelled in a violent raged before Naruto slammed into her with amazing force causing the muscles in her stomach to contract as she came instantly.

She arched her back off the bed and screamed," OOhhhhh Fuckkk Yesss".

She thrashed around violently for a few seconds as she was engulfed in absolute bliss but Naruto didn't stop pumping into her. She came down from her orgasmic high to realize Naruto wasn't slowing down but instead speeding up.

" Narutooo", she pleaded as he pounded her wet pussy mercilessly.

She shut he eyes tight as she took it quietly but then the indescribable heat started forming in her lower stomach again. She tried to fight the pleasure but it was too much with Naruto filling her up.

" Uhhhg Naruto enoughhh, you're innn sooo deep", Ino cried as she felt another orgasm on the verge of rippling through her body.

She wrapped her arms around Naruto clawing at his bare back as she moaned out in pleasure. Naruto gave two final strong thrust before Ino came again in another wild seizure as Naruto emptied himself into Ino, pouring his hot sticky seed deep in her.

Naruto pulled out and laid down on the bed next to Ino with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling pensively.

Ino sat there completely dazed for several minutes as she tried to catch her breath. She turned over to see Naruto looking rather pleased with himself and she felt tears flowing down her face again.

She turned over so her back was facing Naruto and she curled up into a ball. No matter how much she wanted to she couldn't stop him and now that he was done with her, he paid her no attention.

Ino was so confused, one minute he was a nice and gentle guy and the next he was raping her, how could Naruto do something like that to her and act like everything was fine. As her eyes wandered around the room she noticed a kunai laying on the floor next to her side of the bed.

She quickly grabbed it and spun around to sink it into Naruto's chest but just as it made contact with his skin she stopped. She collapsed into his chest crying hysterically and pounding her fist into his chest in frustration.

" I hate you !", she mumbled in sorrow.

" No, you don't", Naruto said calmly.

" How the hell could you do that to me Naruto ? What the fuck is wrong with you?!", Ino yelled at him.

" It's what you would have wanted and you did enjoy it after all", Naruto said as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

" How the fuck can you say I wanted it you bastard!! I don't know who the fuck you think you are but you're just as sick and twisted as Orochimaru now", Ino retorted bitterly.

" Then why didn't you stop me ?", Naruto asked sarcastically.

" I couldn't you asshole, you're too strong !", Ino said as she wiped away her tears.

" You didn't even try, in fact you used less and less strength every time you attempted to resist.", Naruto said coolly with his eyes still closed.

" You shut the fuck up! You don't know anything about me !", Ino yelled as she got up and started collecting her clothes.

" I can probe your mind and sense your feelings, you enjoyed every minute of it !", Naruto said as his eyes opened wide.

Ino stopped and turned back to face him, his eyes were glowing again but this time an intense blue and he smiled deviously as they made eye contact.

" Come over here Ino", Naruto said sweetly as his eyes faded to back to their normal color.

"NO! Don't fucking touch me!", She cried out as she put on the remains of her clothes in a hurry.

" I want you to come with us", Naruto said as he got up and put on his pants.

" What ?!", Ino said completely outraged that Naruto would even think of asking such a thing of her.

" I did that for a reason Ino, we don't have time for you to come to terms with your emotions. I was trying to show you something, if you have it in your heart to forgive me I think that only further proves what I want to show you", Naruto said.

" And what the hell is that ?!", Ino said as she felt her strength leaving her once again and tears forming in her eyes.

" You have feelings for me, and you feel guilty for me leaving so why not fix that and come with me. You're bored out of your mind here and you crave excitement and adventure so why not ?", Naruto poised.

" I don't have feelings for you !", Ino screamed.

" You could have killed me, but you didn't. Why do you think that is ?"

Ino didn't say anything, she just looked down at the ground in shame.

" You still feel guilty for mistreating me when we were kids and part of you feels like that was your punishment. Another part of you is intrigued by me and you wish you came with me from the start because of how lonely you are", Naruto said as he walked closer towards Ino.

Ino's eye widen in shock at his words, "How the hell do you know that ?", she demanded.

Naruto's cocky grin returned, " I have some…abilities that you may not know about, more specifically I can sense strong emotions and the memories or thoughts tied to them."

"You can read minds ?!', Ino said startled that Naruto was inside her head from the start.

"To a certain extent, yes. But don't freak out its complicated and it's not as powerful as it sounds. Listen Ino, I want you to come with me when I leave tomorrow so just think about it. Believe me I wouldn't ask if I didn't already know you'd say yes.", Naruto said as he walked up to her and put his arms on her hips.

She looked up at him and truly didn't know what to feel anymore. He leaned forward and gave her a passionate kiss before going back to his bed.

" Just think about it", He said and she only nodded.

She walked towards the door and let herself out passing Tayuya who glared at her the entire time. She got out into the street and walked home in a zombie like state so unsure of how she felt anymore. Part of her felt used while on the other hand everything he said was right even though she didn't want to admit it.

She then rushed back home totally ignoring her parents who asked where she was all night and went to her room. She locked the door and jumped on her bed crying more in a desperate attempt to get rid of the emotions she was feeling.

Part of her wanted to go with Naruto because he was so right. She felt like she was going nowhere as a shinobi and her life was so boring and lonely. At the same time she felt so violated and angry but she was angry at herself the most.

She could have stopped him, hell she could have even killed him but she let him get away with it and when her parents asked her what's wrong she protected him and said nothing.

_Have I lost my mind? Why do I feel like I should protect Naruto, he fucking raped me and I'm actually thinking about leaving Konoha with him. Something is wrong with me I think I just snapped. _

_I'm more disgusted with myself right now than him. I actually enjoyed most of it, but it's suppose to feel good and I guess I did have a small crush on him but that doesn't make it right. _

_How did Naruto even get the ability to read people's minds like that. I can't trust him anymore, he's not the same person I grew up with. He's psychotic and manipulative and I should have told my parents what happened._

_Could he have been right, that I let him rape me because I feel guilty ? NO! No one would do something like that to make themselves believe they have forgiveness. I'm too shaken up right now, I can't even think straight._

_Should I even be thinking about his offer ? He's up to something and I have to find out what ! No matter which way I look at it, nothing makes sense anymore. _

Ino sat in her bed debating the issue all night until she fell asleep. She was torn between logic and instinct. With the two colliding no answer seemed to be the right one, despite what seemed 'right', Ino was already on the path that would lead to the changing of Konoha as we know it.

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's weird to end while still being in a flashback but it's a long ass flashback that will probably continue for either another whole chapter or most of the next one. I'm going to elaborate more on Naruto's goal and His abilities later on so don't worry all questions will be answered in due time.

Also I know this was kinda a half assed lemon, but it was more of a story development than anything else. It wasn't meant to be very important and I didn't feel like wasting time making it a long drawn out scene, it only served to bring about the conversation that was held afterwards.

The whole flashback thing is kind of a lazy way to tell a story since I could have just started at the beginning but then I would have had to keep jumping forward in time because really the only part that matters is within a two week timeframe. So I know it might be confusing jumping around like that but I will try to make it as clear as possible.

Let me know how you guys like this, I know it's a change of pace from my other stories but I wanted to try something new that combines things I like from my other stories while adding something I haven't really tried before altogether. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. PEACE.


	2. Under the Influence

**A/N:** Hey everybody, welcome back ! Just so you know I'm going to be focusing on Ino's part of the story because it gives the background so if this whole story seems like a fuck fest right now just wait it out, Naruto's part will come up. This story will have quite possibly the longest flash back you've ever seen or your money back, guaranteed !

"Speaking"

_Thoughts _

**Kyuubi**

**Jutsu**

Chapter 2: Under the Influence

**FLASHBACK (continued)**

Ino woke in a fit throwing her covers off her and over the bed. She felt unbelievably hot and was covered in sweat. Ino took a few deep breaths as she recalled the dreams that plagued her during the night.

Over and over she relived the episode with Naruto but each time it was a little bit different. At first everything was exactly the same but the next time she relived the dream she started hitting on Naruto when they went into his room.

The third time she was the one that took off her own clothing. Things preceded like this until version of the dream where she basically raped Naruto. In the last version she suggest they go to his room and when they did she pounced on him and ripped his clothes off before having her way with him.

It was so odd to watch the progression of the dream turned fantasy all night because it seemed so vivid and real. Ino felt like she was forced to be with Naruto repeatedly for years upon years on end.

The worst part was her feelings though, no matter what version of the dream occurred she always enjoyed every minute of it. She was crying out in pleasure and begging Naruto to continue even when he was being forceful with her. She told him she loved him and to fuck her harder every single time in each version of the dream.

Ino groaned in frustration as she thought about her dream looking for a possible reason she would fantasize about such a vile thing. Her irritation only grew as she moved to get out of bed and realized just how wet she was.

_Damnit Naruto ! What did you do to me ? Why did I get turned on thinking about you taking me again? I can't handle this anymore , I have to do something._

Ino went straight to the shower to clean herself off before she came back into her room and quickly got dressed. She was having a hard time believing that she could act normal when she felt like her whole world has changed overnight.

She tried not to look too conflicted as she walked downstairs and past her father who was sitting down in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee. He looked up at her as she walked through and cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

" Is something wrong ?", Inouichi asked his daughter.

" I'm fine I just didn't sleep well last night", Ino lied as she poured herself a cup of milk and gulped it down.

" Are you sure ?", He asked still not convinced.

" Yes, Dad I'm fine okay! I'm going to be training all day so I might miss dinner", Ino warned him as she left the kitchen and headed out the door.

She was convinced she needed to find and talk to Naruto so she could clear her head but as she walked through Konoha she realized it might be easier said than done. After wondering around his old apartment just to find it completely desolate she decided she would just have to search the entire town.

Ino walked through the streets of Konoha brainstorming where the blonde shinobi could be hiding. She went over everything that he said to her before Naruto took her back to his place.

Then something hit her, _Maybe Tsunade-Sama knows something about his whereabouts. I'm sure if I let her know he trusts me too she'll talk to me! _

Ino ran towards Hokage tower suddenly very excited but she stopped herself halfway when she realized just how happy she was to get closer to Naruto. It sickened her that no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't make herself hate him.

She pushed those thoughts about him out of her head as she approached the building and ran inside completely losing her calm and succumbing to her excitement. The building was fairly busy but not too eventful were it would appear to be a problem to schedule a surprise meeting with the Hokage.

Ino ran through the corridors and up the stairwells until she was face to face with Shizune desperately trying to make an excuse why she needed to have a last minute appointment with Tsunade.

Shizune gave her a skeptical look but decided she really didn't want to know, " Okay, Tsunade-Sama has a few minutes to spare but you'll have to make it quick. She becomes irate when people interrupt her alone time", Shizune warned her.

" Okay, all I need is a few minutes of her time and then I'll be on my way!", Ino told her happily as Shizune ushered her towards the double doors that led to the Hokage's office.

Shizune knocked and Tsunade yelled from the other side for them to enter, Shizune opened the door and returned back to her small desk to resume her work.

Ino walked in and bowed to the Hokage as the door closed shut, " Tsunade-Sama may I ask you an important question ?".

Tsunade was at her desk with a very puzzled look on her face, " What kind of question ?".

Ino looked around as if expecting to see hidden guards in the room with them. She walked up to Tsunade's desk and leaned slightly forward so unwanted ears wouldn't hear her.

" I need to know where Naruto is", Ino whispered.

Tsunade's face lit up in shock, " Naruto ?! What are you talking about Naruto has been missing for years, why would I know where he is ?".

Ino frowned as she stared back at the platinum blonde, " Tsunade-sama I saw him yesterday, he told me he would be here until tonight but I can't find him. Please help me, this is really important".

Tsunade looked at Ino totally stunned, " Where did you see him ?".

" In the forest near the team eight training ground, I heard a noise and I went to go check it out and it was Naruto", Ino informed her.

" I see, well I guess you've spoken to him about everything, correct ?", Tsunade said as she donned her business voice.

" Yeah he told me about everything….. and he asked me to come with him tonight.", Ino added timidly.

" What !? You're leaving Konoha with Naruto !!", Tsunade panicked.

" NO! Well I'm not sure what I'm going to do..", Ino caught herself in mid sentence.

" …no I don't know what I'm even saying, of course I'm not going !", Ino said trying to convince herself that she had not been considering it.

Tsunade sighed as she balanced her chin on her hands like a bridge, " Okay Ino, I suppose it's too late to warn you but Naruto is very dangerous. He's not the same person you used to know".

Ino chuckled bitterly, " I know that all too well, I just need to talk to him for a few minutes".

" You're leaving aren't you ?", Tsunade said as she reached into her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake.

" No, I promise you I'm not leaving", Ino said desperately trying to defend herself.

" You don't understand, Naruto has some….unique gifts, he knew you'd say yes before he even asked you. He refrains from controlling our minds but he could easy read your inner most private desires and feelings like a book. Even your subconscious is open to him, it's frightening to think about", Tsunade said as she took a swig of the bottle.

" What ?! He can control people ?!", Ino said in shock.

" Yes, but only to a limited degree. It's more like he can influence people and the level of his influence depends on how mentally strong the person is and what mental and emotional condition they are in", Tsunade took a second to let what she was saying sink in.

" Those clouded in doubt, confusion or fear can easily be manipulated to his every whim as long as they are weak minded. However those of the highest mental fortitude can be influenced if they are in these conditions as well just not entirely. Naruto has the ability to do anything within influencing decisions to complete mind domination", Tsunade said in a morbid tone.

"Does that mean he's controlling me ?!", Ino asked in terror.

"No, he promised me he wouldn't use his powers on any Leaf Nins under any circumstance.", She said calmly to Ino.

"But how can you trust him, you yourself said he was dangerous after all !", Ino said.

"He's different but he's still Naruto deep down inside, he doesn't break his promises. It's one of the few things that will never change about him I guess", Tsunade said as she stood up and walked over to one of the bookshelves.

"He told me he was here to see you, what for ?", Ino asked as she watched Tsunade fumble through the items on the self.

"Naruto is here to pick up something I made for him. Ino are you aware of the story of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox ?", Tsunade asked as she grabbed a box shaped like a book from the self.

" Yeah, the Yondaime destroyed him when he attacked Konoha and saved everyone", Ino answered casually.

" Yes that's what you were told but it's not entirely true. In truth you can't destroy a demon it's completely impossible for a human to do under any condition, instead he trapped it in Naruto. It's still alive but it can't escape Naruto because of the seal on him. However that seal has become disturbed by some of the training and enhancement drugs Orochimaru has given Naruto and Sasuke", Tsunade said as she pulled out a small turquoise vile and a piece of paper out of the box.

" How is that even possibly ? That means Naruto is nothing more than a cage for the demon ! What's going to happen if the seal gets too weak to hold the demon?", Ino asked still astonished the Naruto housed something so powerful.

" If the seal becomes too weak the demon will consume his mind and soul, taking Naruto's body for itself while Naruto will die in the process. It's like a soul merge but since the Kyuubi has so much power it can completely overshadow Naruto.", Tsunade sadly informed Ino.

" I've been helping him slow down the effects and Jiraiya has drawn addition seals that will last him a few more years but he needs to take this medicine to counteract the effects of whatever drugs Orochimaru gave him. The addition seals are weak and will only buy him a few months each when the core of the seal erodes", Tsunade said as she handed the vile to Ino.

" I want you to give this to him, it's the medicine he needs. Go into the forest near the east gate in twenty minutes and meet up with him.", Tsunade continued.

" What about you ? Why are you helping him so much ?", Ino asked very confused.

" Because no matter what he will still be 'Naruto-kun' to me. He's grown up and taken a different path then I would have hoped but I still love him, he's like a little brother to me. And after all he's been through I don't have the heart to make him suffer more, he doesn't deserve it.", Tsunade said remorsefully.

" I guess I understand, I kinda felt the same way before…", Ino stopped herself before she finished her sentence.

" Before what ?", Tsunade asked noticing the change in tone from Ino.

".. Before he took my virginity", Ino said guiltily.

Tsunade smiled warmly at her with an almost motherly smile, " It's okay Ino, it's nothing to be ashamed about. It's only natural for you to be interested in sex and Naruto has grown up into a very handsome man after all so it's very understandable", Tsunade said sounding very proud of the Jinchuriki.

Ino blushed furiously, she wasn't expecting a sex talk from Tsunade but she should have seen it coming since Tsunade was a medical expert and probably looked at sex in a completely different way than her.

" I assume from the way you're blushing that you thoroughly enjoyed yourself, would I be incorrect in that assumption ?", Tsunade asked with a smirk.

Ino only blushed harder, " Yes", she finally admitted to herself as well as the Hokage.

" Good, it should be very enjoyable for you and your partner however If you and Naruto decide to have intercourse again you should at least use some sort of protection. I know Naruto didn't use any because he's reckless like that", Tsunade said looking somewhat irritated.

" Wait a second, Naruto said something about his clan yesterday, what was he talking about ?", Ino asked desperate to change the subject.

The care-free look on Tsunade's face dissolved, " I'm sorry but I think it would be better if you asked him about that in person", she said as she turned away from Ino.

" Now if you don't mind, you should get going so you can deliver that medicine in time.", Tsunade said as she went back to looking over documents.

Ino just sighed as she bowed to the Hokage before leaving quietly with the enigma of Naruto's lineage haunting her mind. She ran out of the Hokage Tower with renewed curiosity and energy while she wondered what she would fine near the gate.

She plowed through the city and charged past the gates without any real clue where she was suppose to stop. In her mind it didn't really matter because she was expecting to find Naruto waiting for her quietly in a deserted clearing.

_This is all so overwhelming, first Naruto is still alive and now he has the Kyuubi inside him. Plus Tsunade was hiding something about his clan too, what else could there possibly be that I don't know about ?_

_Can he really control people as completely as Tsunade said ? How can he even gain that kind of power in the first place? _

Ino was brought back to the real world as a kunai flew in front of her landing in the center of a tree. She stopped and spun around in the direction the Kunai came from but by the time she turned around it was too late.

Her body slammed into a tree violently with so much force that her eyes closed on impact. Ino slowly opened her eyes as she felt the life being choked out of her. A hand was wrapped tightly around her throat keeping her pinned down against the tree.

" Well well, looks like someone tipped you off about our meeting place. Who the fuck was it and you better answer the damn question fast or you die !"

Ino struggled for a few seconds before she looked Tayuya right in the eyes, her expression was cold and merciless like before.

" Tsunade-Sama sent me here to give Naruto the medicine he wanted", Ino forced out as she struggled to breathe.

" Where the hell is it ?", Tayuya demanded without loosening her grip.

" My pocket", Ino said as she clawed at Tayuya's hand which was still tightening around her throat.

Tayuya reached out and rummaged through Ino's pockets before pulling out the tiny blue-green vile and releasing her from the death grip. Ino fell to the ground coughing wildly before catching her breath and standing back up.

Tayuya started to walk away as Ino finally got to her feet.

" Wait ! Where are you going ?", Ino asked as she chased after the redhead.

" Don't fucking worry about it", She said in annoyance as she glared back at the blonde following her.

" Where's Naruto, I need to speak with him?", Ino spat out as Tayuya prepared to leap off into the canopy.

" That's none of your fucking business", She said venomously as she stomped back towards Ino in rage.

Ino started to back away in fear as the irate redhead charged towards her. She felt the cold metal of a kunai at her throat again and she froze.

" Don't push your luck, Naruto-Sama may think you're of some use but I still think you're fucking annoying and a waste of his precious time", Tayuya said coldly.

" But what about his offer to join him", Ino said boldly determined to not show Tayuya any fear. Tayuya eased up pulling the weapon from Ino's throat.

"Hmm so you really do want to join us, I suppose it was stupid of me to think Naruto-Sama would be wrong. It's hard to resist his charm", Tayuya said with a triumphant smile.

" Charm, you mean his mind control ! Your probably nothing more than his puppet!", Ino shot back.

Tayuya's face contorted in a mix of disgust and pity, " You really think he's fucking controlling me ? How naïve, why would he control someone who is completely devoted to him in the first place ?"

Ino's face gave away how confused she was, " Well what about me ? I'm not devoted to him, he could still being controlling me !".

" Don't fucking flatter yourself, he doesn't need to use his abilities to make you do what he wants. He's very charismatic with or without his powers so trying to blame him is pointless. Face it, you are seeking him out with your own damn free will", Tayuya said as she watch Ino with a sadistic smile.

" You already belong to him, you might as well just accept it", She added as her smirk grew bigger.

" Well why do you follow him with such devotion ?", Ino asked completely ignoring Tayuya's last comment.

" You don't need to know that right now, even if I told you, your too fucking dense right now to comprehend it. You'll learn when the time is right so don't worry, but enough of that If you want to join us meet us where you found us yesterday at midnight.", Tayuya said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Ino stared at the smoke in discontent, she really didn't like Tayuya and wasn't sure she could stand being stuck around her. She brushed it off and headed home, she wasn't sure what she was going to do but it didn't appear to be her choice anymore.

Everyone kept talking to her as if she already made her decision and it bothered her, she didn't like the feeling that she didn't have a say in the matter. She groaned in frustration as she made it home, still not sure why she felt so compelled to follow Naruto.

Ino opened the door and walked through the house looking for her mother, she felt like she needed to talk to her before anything else happened. She found her in the kitchen making some sort of stew.

" Hey mom, can I talk to you for a minute ?", Ino asked as she took a seat at the small table.

" Sure honey, what is it ?", She said without turning around to face her daughter.

" I…I've been thinking about my future, and I've come to a conclusion that I should use an opportunity I've been presented….but it might require some sacrifices.", Ino said

unsure of her own words.

Ino's mother turned around immediately when she heard her daughters comment.

" What kind of sacrifices ?", She asked wryly.

" I might have to leave the village for a while", Ino said timidly.

" WHAT !? Why would you do that ? Ino you can't just abandoned the village !", She said in a panic.

"Mom I've thought about it a lot and I really don't see any other way, I'm sorry", Ino said as she avoided eye contact with her mother.

" Ino you aren't going anywhere! I don't know what's gotten into you but this isn't up for debate, you're staying and that's final !", She said forcefully as she stared at he daughter.

" You and Dad always tell me to be the best ninja that I can and do what I think is right and I really believe that this is the only way I can do both of those things. I want to make a difference and I can't do it sitting here in the flower shop all day and living in Sakura's shadow !", Ino said losing her tempter.

" So that's what this is all about, competing with Sakura ?", Ino's mother said forlornly.

" No its not ! I need to be where my talents and skills can grow and be appreciated, there's nothing I can add to Konoha that they even need. I'm not doing anything important with my life here so why stay !", Ino said on the verge of tears.

" Ino you are doing important things, you just don't know it yet. Someday you'll understand okay?", Her mother said trying to comfort her.

" No you don't understand, there's nothing here for me to do besides copy Sakura ! I need to find my own place in life and without Asuma I have no sensei.", Ino said sadly as she remembered the death of her sensei to the hands of the Akatsuki member.

" So you just want training ? Someone else can train you honey, your life as a ninja isn't over. I know you took his death hard but you need to relax you aren't thinking logically.", Ino's mother said as she went back to her cooking.

" You aren't even listening to me mom! You know what, if I don't see you tomorrow , goodbye", Ino huffed as she stood up and went to her room and slammed her door before laying on her bed.

_They both still treat me like a child and I'm tired of it, If I'm going to be a strong Kuniochi one day I'm going to need to make decisions for myself. I need to take a stand and do what I think is right. _

_I want to be strong and I want to do something important, and helping Naruto form a new hidden village would be a very important thing. I don't want fame though, I just wanna know I did my part to help people and change the world. _

_It's what Asuma-sensei would want me to do, he told me not to lose to Sakura in life or in love and if I want to prove that I'm as useful as any other Kuniochi in this village I need to improve. _

Ino got up and walked around her room looking for things to pack but she still felt uneasy about leaving. It was such a sudden thing and part of her was afraid of what awaited for her beyond Konoha.

She rarely stayed in other villages more than a night or two and now she was permanently leaving without any real idea if she would ever be coming back. She sighed as she looked at the small pack she normally took with her on missions.

It wasn't large enough to carry even half of the stuff she wanted to take so she had to regress to the basics. A spare set of clothes, supplies , and some small rations. Now she was regretting not asking Tayuya more about what she was suppose to bring.

She finished grabbing the essentials and sat on her bed as she thought about what she was doing.

_Am I really ready for this? I'm basically throwing away my life right now and starting over. Well Tsunade-Sama wouldn't let me go if she thought it was a terrible decision, but then again she did warn me Naruto is dangerous._

Ino pushed her doubts aside as she looked at her clock, _ I should leave soon if I want to make it there on time. _She stood up and put on her pack but stopped to leave a quick note on her bed.

She didn't want to do this to her parents but she had to let go, she needed to grow up and learn how to live on her own. She smiled as she placed the note on her pillow and crawled outside of the window jumping away into the night.

Ino knew her mom didn't take her seriously earlier so they wouldn't find out she had left until tomorrow and by then she'd be long gone. She jumped across the city and ran past the team eight training ground deep into the forest.

Her heart was racing as she thought about how her new life would be and she couldn't help but feel excited. Everyone might not understand now but she'd made the right decision and when she came back everyone would be proud of her.

She entered the same small clearing as before and looked around to find nothing but trees. There was a half moon high in the sky and the light beamed down alluringly down on Ino.

She walked over towards a particularly large tree and sat down underneath it not sure if she was early or not.

" So it looks like the little bitch didn't get lost", someone said in a mocking tone.

Ino looked around frantically before Tayuya stepped out of the shadows with the same scowl on her face that she always had.

" Tayuya be nice", someone reprimanded from above Ino.

Ino looked up quickly to find Naruto standing on a branch directly above her.

"I'll try master", Tayuya said reluctantly.

Naruto jumped down landing with his back to Ino and walked over to the stump he sat in yesterday. He dropped down using his knees for a place to rest his elbows. Tayuya walked over to Ino as Naruto was doing this with a very serious look on her face.

" So have you finally decided to devote yourself to Naruto-Sama ?", She asked sternly.

"Devote ? He just asked me to help him, he said nothing about devoting myself to him!", Ino told Tayuya.

This only seemed to piss off the redhead because she walked closer to Ino until there was only an inch separating them.

" Listen bitch I'm not here to play games with you, either you give Naruto-sama everything or you give him nothing so pick one !", She snarled at Ino.

Ino stared back at her not sure if she wanted to go through with this anymore but something inside her told her she needed to.

" Yes", Ino said hesitantly.

" I can't hear you!", Tayuya baited.

" Yes!", Ino repeated with more conviction.

" Good, I expect you to trust Naruto-Sama with your life now and to obey his every word. If you don't I'll punish you myself", Tayuya warned Ino as she walked back over to Naruto.

" Well ?", Naruto asked as Tayuya approached him.

" You were right, she has grown on me . I think she has potential but she needs someone to push her past her current limits", Tayuya reported.

Naruto only grinned, " Well that's what I wanted to hear, we should leave now we've been here too long as it is".

Naruto stood up and stretched with a loud yawn as he walked over to Ino with Tayuya still at his side.

" You ready ?", He asked with a welcoming smile.

Ino just nodded. Tayuya walked back up to her and eyed the pack on her back as Naruto walked away from them and started looking around for any unwanted guest.

" Leave the pack !", Tayuya ordered her.

" But why ? What am I going to do for supplies ?", Ino asked confused.

" I'm not going to repeat myself !", Tayuya warned her.

Ino sighed and dropped her pack under the tree she was standing next to. Tayuya walked closer to her with a smile on her face. Ino got nervous as they got closer and closer thinking that she was going to attack her again.

" Good girl", Tayuya said with a chuckle as she patted Ino's head.

Ino just glared at her in irritation, " I'm not your pet !".

" Not yet", Tayuya informed her with a sadistic smirk.

" C'mon you two, I don't want to deal with Orochimaru's lectures again so let's make it back before he notices how long we've been gone", Naruto yelled out as he jumped off into the distance.

" Yes Master", Tayuya called as she charged after him with Ino right behind her.

And with that they started the long journey to Otokagure making very few stops and buying supplies along the way at the small villages they ran into. It was a tiring journey for Ino who wasn't used to the fast pace Tayuya and Naruto set but she tried her hardest to keep up.

Naruto had finally decided to take a break for Ino's sake at another small village very close to their destination. It had only been a day and a half but they had made incredible time although it was due to the lack of sleeping and eating breaks they've had.

Ino was completely exhausted and was fighting to stay conscious right now but she didn't want to appear weaker than she already was to Tayuya so she pushed herself. She was now lying on the bed at the small inn they were staying at.

It was a fairly cozy place with very nice accommodations considering the village didn't appear to be that wealthy from the first glace. They had arrived a little over an hour ago and planned on staying the night until tomorrow.

Ino forced herself to sit up and looked around the room for Naruto. Tayuya was standing next to the large bed in the room but Naruto had gone somewhere and had yet to return. Ino and Tayuya have been getting along a little better since they started traveling together but Ino still didn't feel safe around her without Naruto close by to keep Tayuya in line.

" What the hell is bothering you", Tayuya said as she sat down on the bed next to Ino.

"Nothing.. I'm just a little tired that's all", Ino lied as she tried to act normal despite her exhaustion.

" Hm well take a nap then, Naruto-Sama won't mind", Tayuya said.

"Can I ask you something Tayuya ?", Ino posed shyly.

" What ?", Tayuya barked absent mindedly.

" Why do you call him 'Master' sometimes ?", Ino asked.

" Because he is my master", Tayuya said simply.

" But isn't Orochimaru your master ?", Ino inquired.

" No, Naruto-Sama is the only man that can command respect from me, Orochimaru is a fucking monster and he doesn't deserve my loyalty. From now on you are to refer to him as 'Naruto-Sama' too and 'Master' when speaking to him directly", Tayuya told her.

" Why ? No one owns me !",Ino said boldly.

Before she could even sense any anger from Tayuya she was slapped hard across the face forcing her head to twist to the left. Ino's eyes widen as the pain from the blow slowly registered, she turned back around to face Tayuya who looked infuriated.

" I refuse to let you fucking disrespect Naruto-Sama like that, you are to address him with the proper respect or you aren't allowed to talk to him at all. And don't think for even one fucking minute that I won't punish you myself whether he's in the room or not.", Tayuya warned her with a menacing glare.

" Yes..", Ino said bitterly.

" Yes what you stupid bitch !", Tayuya barked.

" Yes Tayuya !", Ino repeated as she tried to hide her rage towards the fowl mouthed girl next to her.

" Good, make sure you don't forget it", Tayuya said with a sigh as her anger faded.

Ino sat there still fuming that she still had to deal with Tayuya's bullshit and there was nothing she could do to stop her. Tayuya was way stronger than her and could snap her in two whenever she wanted.

Ino's body went stiff as she felt a pair of lips press against her sore cheek, she spun around to see Tayuya looking at her with a softened look.

Ino brought her hand up to her cheek to the spot where Tayuya just kissed her, it was slightly moist with her saliva.

" Listen Ino, don't think I'm being strict with you just for fin. I'm doing it for your own good. It will only make you stronger in the end so don't take it personally.", She said as she turned around and stared at the wall.

Ino sat there in shock, that was the first time Tayuya had referred to her as something other than a bitch and not only that but she called her by her name. Ino stared at the redhead in confusion, _Did Tayuya really just kiss me ? _

Just then the door burst open and Naruto came in wearing the worlds biggest shit eating grin.

" Hey Ladies, I'm back !", He announced happily as he stumbled into the room and slammed the door with more force then he probably should have used.

" Master !!", Tayuya chirped happily as she jumped out of the bed and ran up to Naruto.

Ino just watched the whole scene in confusion, Tayuya always seemed very professional about everything but now that they were at the Inn she seemed less strict and very high spirited. It was like she was completely different when they were in private.

Tayuya jumped into Naruto's arms and hugged him tightly before she noticed the two large white jugs in each of his hands.

" What's that ? Did you get us something ?", She asked excitedly.

" Oh of course, I can't have you two being pent up in here without something to help you enjoy yourselves", He said as he staggered with Tayuya still latched on to him towards the bed.

" Naruto have you been drinking ?", Ino asked as she watched Naruto trip bringing him and Tayuya down on the bed nearly squashing Ino in the process.

" Huh ? Drinnking ?! Hell yeah, but don't worry I got some for you and Tayuya too !", He said as he tossed one of the jugs into Ino's lap.

Tayuya got off him and crawled over to sit next to Ino with a jug of her very own. Ino looked down at the huge bottle of alcohol, she had never drank before and she wasn't sure if she wanted to try it now of all times.

A hand struck her by surprise again but this time from the opposite side. Ino nearly fell off the bed but grabbed the sheets last minute to save herself from the fall.

" What did we just talk about Ino !", Tayuya said in irritated as she opened her bottle and brought it to her lips.

Ino sat back up rubbing her cheek and feeling stupid for allowing Tayuya to hit her yet again.

" Tayuya don't be so rough with her, we're suppose to be having fun right now !", Naruto said with a chuckle as he crawled in between Ino and Tayuya.

" Okay Master, I'll discipline her later", Tayuya said as she leaned over and kissed Naruto.

Ino's eyes went wide as she watched the two make out right next to her. Tayuya was now straddling Naruto while she made out with him, making sure that Ino saw her tongue darting in and out of his mouth wildly.

Tayuya broke the kiss and started licking and kissing every part of Naruto's face while he laughed and told her to settle down.

Tayuya stopped and shot a glance at Ino, " What ?".

" You two are a…a.. couple ?", Ino asked suddenly feeling very jealous.

" Don't worry you'll have your turn too but I'm going first." Tayuya informed her casually.

" What do you mean 'my turn', I don't even want a turn", Ino yelled angrily.

" Stop lying, I can see the fucking jealousy in your eyes. You want him all to yourself don't you ?", Tayuya teased.

" I don't even like him !", Ino said getting more and more upset by the second.

" Oh really ? What happened to 'Fuck Me' !", Tayuya said mocking Ino's voice.

" You were listening to us ?", Ino asked shocked as she got very embarrassed.

" It was kinda hard not to, I was only in the other room and you were screaming so fucking loud", Tayuya teased with a smirk.

" He was raping me !", Ino interjected.

" And you liked it you little slut", Tayuya shot back.

Naruto got up now pushing Tayuya off him and getting off the bed.

" Wait ! Master where are you going ?", Tayuya asked desperately as Naruto started to walk away.

" You two need to learn how to get along, until then it will only make things worse if we have sex. Besides all that bickering made my dick go soft", He said with a bored expression on his face as he exited the room leaving them alone yet again.

Tayuya groaned as she threw a pillow at the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

" See what you did !! Now you pissed him off !", Tayuya barked at Ino.

" Me !? You're the one who was being a bitch !", Ino yelled back as she forgot about her fear of the redhead.

" Don't blame me for your damn childish behavior ! If you would have just waited for your fucking turn this wouldn't have happened !", Tayuya retorted.

" I told you I didn't want a damn turn !", Ino yelled back.

" Well it doesn't matter, because Naruto-Sama was going to fuck you whether you wanted it or not. Do you really think he would let his wife deny him sex?", Tayuya said in irritation.

" WIFE ?!", Ino yelled so loud that the building shook.

"Who the hell said I was his wife ?! All I ever agreed to do is help him and have him train me ! I don't want to be his wife !", Ino panicked.

" You don't have a fucking choice, he already claimed you when he took your virginity and yet you can't stay away from him so its obvious you want to be with him. Besides his goals will require a lifetime of commitment, he can't run a village by himself. His wives are going to help rule with him.", Tayuya said as she picked up her bottle of sake and started gulping it down.

Ino sat there speechless at this new revelation, _Rule with him ! Is he planning on being a village leader like a Kage or a King ? What is Tayuya even talking about, I'm too young to be married !_

" See, you're happy that you have him aren't you ?", Tayuya said with a smile.

" No ! I was just thinking that's all", Ino lied.

" It's obvious your feelings for him are growing stronger each day, eventually you'll embrace your position.", Tayuya said calmly.

" Wait a minute what do you mean 'wives' ?!", Ino said as the realization hit her.

" God damn you're slow", Tayuya said as she finished off her jug.

" You don't mean you ?!", Ino said in shock as she pointed towards Tayuya.

" Of course me, why else do you think I'm here. Naruto-Sama doesn't trust just anyone so that means we carry a lot of responsibility, you should be honored that Naruto-Sama has chosen you", Tayuya told her as she put the cork back in the jug and tossed it on the floor next to the bed.

" What kind of responsibility ?", Ino asked as she thought about the benefits of ruling along side Naruto.

"No need to worry about them right now, you should hurry up and drink your sake", Tayuya suggested.

Ino eyed the jug with dismay and handed it to Tayuya.

" I don't really want it", Ino said hoping Tayuya would take it without question.

" Have you even gotten drunk before ?", Tayuya asked her with a suspicious eye.

" Well…no but I don't want to try it now", Ino said somewhat embarrassed.

" Stop being such a fucking baby, I thought you were a kunoichi not a damn child. I can't believe you're actually scared of a little alcohol", Tayuya spat out.

" I'm not scared !", Ino said defensively.

" Then drink it !", Tayuya said turning to Ino and waiting for her to respond.

Ino glared at Tayuya before taking out the cork and slowly raising the jug to her mouth letting the liquid touch her lips gently before taking a real sip.

" Are you going to drink it or not ?", Tayuya asked in annoyance.

" Just let me drink it okay !", Ino shot back as she brought the jug back to her lips with a little bit more confidence this time.

Just as the alcohol touched her lips Tayuya grabbed the jug and tilted it at a steeper angle while she grabbed the back of Ino's head, forcing the blonde to chug as much of the contents as she could.

Ino tried to pull her head away as the liquid rushed down her throat but she couldn't move and it would spill all over her if she struggled anymore. She gave up and drank as fast as she could as the bitter liquid burned her throat.

Tayuya finally pulled the jug away after she forced Ino to take down a little more than a third of it at once. Ino coughed and blinked a few times as her eyes watered but she tried to remain cool.

" There that's better", Tayuya said satisfied.

" You bitch", Ino said out loud after a while, but her words were slightly slurred.

" Haha that's a lot better, I'm glad you handled it so well. That stuff is kinda strong so you'll definitely be feeling it soon", Tayuya said with a smirk.

Ino was listening to what Tayuya was saying but she didn't respond, she felt sick all of a sudden and her whole body was hot. She turned around slowly to look at Tayuya but her vision was shaky and she noticed her body was swaying.

" Looks like you're a light weight, I probably shouldn't have forced you to drink so much. This is nothing for me or Naruto-Sama but since this is your first drink it's gonna hit you hard", Tayuya informed her as continued to just watch Ino with a sick amusement.

Ino couldn't think straight, she was trying to stop herself from moving but her body wasn't responding properly. She suddenly got light headed and let herself fall back against the soft mattress of the bed they were sitting on.

" You know there was a reason Naruto-Sama left us here alone with alcohol, I doubt you caught on but I know how he thinks", Tayuya said as she lied down next to Ino propping her head up with her hand.

Ino rolled over to face her but her mind wasn't really registering what the redhead was saying. At this point she wasn't sure if she would throw up or pass out but either one sounded better than what she was feeling now.

" Try to relax", Tayuya said as she cupped Ino's cheek.

Ino nodded absent mindedly and closed her eyes content with sleeping the alcohol off because she was sure she lost the ability to even stand. A pair of soft lips were pressed against Ino's disturbing her from her slumber.

Without opening her eyes she kissed back enjoying the feeling of having someone so close to her. Ino licked at the lips instinctively and rejoiced in the sweet taste before her tongue was greeted by a stranger.

She licked at the offensive tongue before it pushed it's way into her mouth. Ino allowed the tongue to probe her mouth and took the time to investigate the mouth of the stranger. Their tongues brushed against each others and Ino could taste the bitterness of sake.

Ino felt something small and metal on the foreign tongue that she assumed was a tongue ring. Their lips parted for a few seconds and Ino pressed back against the soft warm lips that had enticed her so much. They were wet with her saliva and she loved it, Ino let her tongue traced the lips before she plunged it between them again.

The stranger nibbled and sucked on Ino's lips earning soft moans from the blonde before she pulled away and brought her tongue inside the strangers mouth. Ino sleepily opened her eyes only to freak out when she saw Tayuya's face.

" What the hell are you doing !", Ino said in shock as she tried to moved away from Tayuya but her alcohol induced clumsiness stopped her.

" What the fuck does it look like , and don't pretend like you didn't like it because you were kissing back", Tayuya said as she rolled over so that she was on top of Ino.

She reached up and started unbuttoning Ino's top as Ino just watched in terror.

" Stop IT !", Ino yelled as she tried to cover herself back up.

" Make me !", Tayuya retorted as she pulled Ino's shirt off against her will.

" I thought you loved Naruto, why are you doing this ?", Ino said as she struggled to keep her bra on.

" I do but this is one of Naruto-Sama's rules", She answered as she forced the white bra off Ino's slender shoulders revealing her large soft breast.

" What rules ?", Ino said giving up as her bra was already off her shoulders and covering her chest with her arms.

" Naruto-Sama asked two things of us, to love him with all our heart and to love our sisters just as we love him. Since you are now his wife that makes us sisters", Tayuya informed her as she let her hand trail Ino's thigh.

" Tayuya stop it, I'm not into girls !", Ino screamed as she wiggled underneath Tayuya.

" You're body says differently", Tayuya said with a smirk as she forced her hand up Ino's skirt and rubbed her through her panties.

" You fucking bitch don't touch me", Ino yelled as she struggled to get free.

Tayuya only rubbed her harder letting her fingers moved up and down Ino's slit, " You're pretty wet for someone who isn't turned on."

" Shut Up !" Ino spat out as she clawed at Tayuya's cheek scratching her.

" You little bitch, stop being so fucking difficult and enjoy it", Tayuya said as she grabbed and pinched Ino's nipple the second she removed her arm.

Ino moaned in pleasure and arched her back as she felt Tayuya push her panties aside and stick a finger into her hot center. Ino wanted to resist but she was incredibly horny and Tayuya was touching her in all the right places.

Tayuya's finger was pumping into her slow and deep as Ino rotated her hips enjoying the warmth that was growing in her stomach. She let out a throaty moan as her right nipple was caught between a pair of teeth before lips engulfed it and sucked hard.

The erect pink nub was teased as a tongue lashed out against it rubbing it while the teeth returned nibbling playfully on it. A second finger was forced into Ino's wet pussy and then the rhythm increased and more forced was added until it felt like Tayuya was ramming her with the now soaking digits.

Tayuya raised her head from Ino's supple breast and brought it back to her face stealing another kiss. Ino kissed her back wholeheartedly enjoying the passionate embrace as she felt herself coming closer and closer to her orgasm.

Tayuya moved down and stripped Ino of her skirt and panties altogether so she could spread her legs out and take a good look at her sex. She took her index finger and slid it along her swollen wet pink lips causing Ino to moan.

" You're very pretty", Tayuya said admiring the blonde's body.

Ino blushed and felt bad for fighting with her, maybe it was the alcohol but suddenly she found her new sister very attractive as well. Tayuya brought her opposite hand to her mouth and sucked on two of her fingers as she played with Ino's wet lips with the other hand.

Tayuya played with her clit flicking and rubbing it roughly before she forced her fingers back into Ino's pussy causing her to moan again as she fondled her own breasts.

" Are you going to play nice now ?", Tayuya asked with a smirk.

Ino nodded and Tayuya stared pumping in and out of her again increasing her speed and strength by the second. Ino arched her back and started to grind her hips into Tayuya's hand as she enjoyed the stimulation.

Suddenly she felt Tayuya's wet fingers playing with her asshole as she continued to ram into her with her other hand.

" What are you doing ?", Ino asked slightly scared of the answer.

" You have a fat ass.", Tayuya commented as she forced her finger into the puckered hole

Ino shrieked in surprise at the new feeling as her body stiffened up because of the offending finger. The pain wasn't too bad but it felt odd and made Ino feel dirty.

"Naruto-Sama will expect to make good use of both your holes so you better get use to it now. It will be more pleasurable for you during double penetration if he decides to make Kage Bunshins", Tayuya said casually as she pumped her lone finger into Ino's asshole while she continued to ram to fingers into her soaking folds.

" I don't like it, it's uncomfortable", Ino whined as she shut her eyes tight struggling to get use to the new sensation.

" Tough luck !", Tayuya said as she forced a second finger into Ino's asshole.

" Ahhhh you're stretching it !", Ino complained as the discomfort multiplied and she felt some pain.

" That's the point, Naruto-Sama is never going to fit in your ass if I don't get you ready. His cock is way too thick, if he tried now he'd tear your ass apart", Tayuya told her as she pumped into her asshole harder.

Ino was struggling to handle all the pleasure Tayuya was giving her, her body was somewhat numb from all the alcohol but now she felt like she was on fire. The discomfort and pain had passed and Ino was now starting to enjoy the four fingers thrusting wildly inside of her.

" Ahhggg Tayuya that's too muchhh", Ino screamed as Tayuya stuffed a third finger into her tight hole.

" Stop fucking complaining, do you want Naruto-Sama to rip you apart ?", Tayuya asked sarcastically as she pushed her three fingers as deep into Ino's asshole as she could.

" N-noo", Ino moaned out as she started squirming again.

" Well then shut the fuck up, and stop moving", Tayuya said she continued thursting her fingers into the blonde.

" ah ahhgg Tayuyaaa I'mm gonnna..", Ino managed to force out between desperate pants.

" Hurry up and cum !", Tayuya yelled impatiently.

Ino arched her back sharply bringing it completely off the bed as her inner walls squeezed Tayuya's fingers while her sweet nectar poured out. Ino screamed and thrashed wildly as Tayuya continued to finger fuck her mercilessly.

" AHhhgg Tayuyaaa stopp !", Ino demanded as she lost all control of her body and convulsed viciously.

Tayuya pulled her fingers out as Ino finally relaxed her body, she was still panting heavily and her vision was blurry because her eyes were tearing up. Tayuya brought her hand up to her mouth and licked Ino's sweet juices off her fingers.

" You did well", Tayuya said with a smile as she leaned over and gave Ino a quick kiss.

" That felt sooo good !", Ino said still dazed from her orgasm.

" I know it did because you came all over my fingers you little slut", Tayuya said with a chuckle as she gave Ino another chaste kiss.

" Now go to sleep", Tayuya ordered as she moved away from Ino and laid down on her side of the bed that they were suppose to share.

" Okay", Ino said obediently as she rolled over and closed her eyes.

Tayuya watched Ino sleep for a little while,_ This is what you wanted isn't it Master, for us to get along better. I promised I'd give her a chance and I admit you picked someone I actually like. Hopefully Orochimaru won't make things more difficult though, I think she has potential but she needs to come out of her shell._

" I'm happy you two had fun"

Tayuya spun around to find Naruto leaning against the wall with an amused smirk on his face.

" Master ! How long have you been there ?", Tayuya asked in surprised that she didn't notice him sneaking in the room.

" Long enough, I'm just glad my dick won't have to rip her apart", Naruto joked as he walked over to her.

" Master, I'm sorry if I offended you but you must know that you're very large and she just lost her virginity so she's still very tight and unprepared. I thought it would be best to let her know what's expected from her", Tayuya said as she got up to approach Naruto.

" No its fine, just try not to scare her. She's still embarrassed about sex so you shouldn't force it on her so fast. I thought you two would just make out a little but as usual you always take things to the max.", Naruto said with a chuckle as he scooped Tayuya into his arms.

" I apologize, I thought you wanted us to fuck", Tayuya said remorsefully.

" Tayuya you really don't have to call me master and apologize so much, you're my wife after all", Naruto said as he gave her a smile, they had this conversation a lot but it seemed to go nowhere.

" I love you, and If I'm not willing to serve you out of love then I don't deserve to be by your side. The same thing goes for anyone else, Ino will address you respectfully as well if she wants to prove her love", Tayuya said as she kissed Naruto's cheek.

" Haha well that's part of it but the real reason is because you're a kinky little girl and you get turned on when I discipline you ,plus I know you love playing the part of my little sex slave .", Naruto said with a cocky smirk.

Tayuya blushed, " You know me all too well Master".

" Well if that's what turns you on who am I to deny you, but do you really think Ino wants to play too ?", Naruto asked.

" She'll play", Tayuya assured him.

" Well that's good to hear, we'll have some real fun when we make it back", Naruto thought out loud as he put Tayuya down gently and climbed in between the two women.

" Get some rest, we'll be introducing Ino to Orochimaru tomorrow", Naruto said as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

**A/N**: Apparently the FlashBack continues next chapter ! It probably will end next chapter and then we'll return to the present with Ino, Tayuya and Naruto still in Konoha. I'm not sure if I can fit everything within the next chapter but I'm going to try. Thanks for reading and don't forget to Review.


	3. Who Knew

**A/N****: **Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad people are really getting into this. My updates have been pretty sporadic but I'm going to try to get better with that. Just for anyone whose interested, I'll be updating my Naru X Tsu story within the next two days for sure. Anyway back to the story !

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Kyuubi**

**Jutsu **

Chapter 3: Who Knew

**(FLASH BACK continued) **

Ino awoke irritated. The bed was moving, stirring her from a sound sleep. She rolled over and cursed under her breath as she gripped her throbbing head.

She tried to go back to sleep but Tayuya was moving around too much distracting her. Every little sound echoed and caused her immense pain. She shuffled around trying to get comfortable but the pain rippling through her head was too disturbing.

Several minutes passed but the noises didn't stop they only grew worse. Ino groaned as she tried to remember what happened to her last night. She opened her eyes wide as memories of her and Tayuya fooling around came flooding back.

"_Oh My God! I can't believe I let her do that to me! Well… she did get me drunk and took advantage of me, so it's not like I wanted to do any of that stuff anyway right? I suppose it did feel good... Argh! I shouldn't even think like that." _Ino mentally berated herself.

Another groan to the right of her interrupted her thoughts. "_What the hell is Tayuya doing? God damn it! It's bad enough I have a hangover but now she has to make all this damn noise so early in the morning."_

Ino rolled over ready to yell at the redhead for not only getting her drunk and taking advantage of her, but waking her up at such an ungodly hour. Her eyes widened to the size of doorknobs as she took in the spectacle before her.

All she could see was a muscular thigh and a long thick dick being sucked on by Tayuya. Ino looked up to see Naruto's face as he groaned in pleasure. His hands caressed Tayuya's hair while he guided her head down on his aroused member.

Ino found herself unable to look away. She was mesmerized by the display in front of her.

"_Wow I don't remember Naruto being so big! That has to hurt Tayuya's throat. It's so thick but she's almost fitting it all in her mouth!" _Ino thought as she had a grudging admiration for the skill Tayuya possessed.

Naruto grunted as he thrust up while he pushed Tayuya's head down forcing the entirety of his length down her throat. He rapidly moved her head up and down as she gagged a little. The red head continued undaunted though with a renewed vigor.

He finally released his grip and allowed her to remove himself from her warm mouth. Ino's mouth was agape, as she looked on, stunned. The two of them continued on. Tayuya traced her tongue along a large vein on the side of his cock before flicking her tongue on his head.

She lowered her head down and gave his balls a hard suck. She followed this by sensually running her tongue up and down the underside of his member, leaving it glistening in the morning light from her saliva.

"Cum on my face." Tayuya growled desperately as she descended on Naruto's dick once again.

"Ha! You feel like being a dirty little slut today, don't ya?" Naruto asked with a big smirk on his face.

"Mmm Hmm." Tayuya mumbled with Naruto's cock in her mouth.

Naruto moaned as he closed his eyes. Tayuya forced his huge cock all the way down her throat until her nose touched his stomach.

"Oh god, this is going to be a big load!" Naruto warned her as he scrunched up his face.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back from his manhood. He released a loud groan while he shot his seed into her willing maw. Tayuya kept her mouth open like a good girl as his cock shot thick ropes of cum for her to greedily gobble down. Naruto held her head in place as the first two blasts shot directly into her mouth. His load covered her tongue in a thick white coating. Wanting to create a beautiful canvas with his seed, Naruto grabbed his cock with his free hand and aimed it higher. He painted Tayuya's gorgeous features with thick, gooey globs of semen. He enjoyed the dazzling sight of his juice dripping from her nose, down her flushed cheeks.

Ino was disgusted by the act but still couldn't find the motivation to turn away. She watched as Naruto shot an especially thick stream of cum right onto Tayuya's bottom lip, as it oozed down her chin.

"Ah! That's a great way to wake up. I'm going to go take a shower. Would you care to join me, Ino?" Naruto asked as he turned around and smiled brightly at her.

Ino blushed. She wasn't aware either of them knew she was up. She still had a shocked expression on her face when he looked at her.

"No, thank you Naruto." She said timidly as she looked away.

"Okay suit yourself." Naruto said as he got up and walked to the bathroom closing the door behind him.

Ino admired the view from behind. _"God, what a cute butt!"_

She snapped herself out her daydream and looked back at Tayuya. The red head was wiping the globs of semen off her face with her fingers and sucking them clean. Ino looked at her in a mix of fascination and disgust.

"_Wow, Tayuya has no self restraint whatsoever! It can't possible taste that good, could it? Well she seems to like it judging by the way she's making sure to get every drop. What a slut. I don't know what Naruto sees in her." _Ino tried to convince herself that she was different from Tayuya.

Tayuya looked down at Ino and the two made eye contact. Ino turned away and pretended to mind her own business. Tayuya suddenly reached over and grabbed Ino's jaw. She forced Ino to look her in the eye as she held her mouth open.

Tayuya shoved two cum-covered fingers into Ino's mouth and watched as Ino unconsciously licked Naruto's seed off them. She pulled her fingers out slowly letting Ino's soft lips savor every drop of the salty treat.

Ino licked her lips without thinking inspecting the warm, salty syrup that Tayuya forced her to taste.

"What the hell, Tayuya!" Ino yelled suddenly realizing what she just did.

"What?" Tayuya asked innocently while she licked the last drop of cum off of her chin.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" Ino demanded.

"You kept staring… so… I thought you wanted some." Tayuya said as she licked another cream covered finger.

"You're so gross." Ino huffed as she rolled back over.

"I didn't see you spit it out, slut." Tayuya retorted sarcastically.

"So what!" Ino shot back.

"Quit with the fucking virgin act already. It's fucking annoying." Tayuya said as she got up and walked across the room.

Ino just ignored her as she lay on the bed. Tayuya walked up to her and slapped her across the face again.

"What the fuck was that for?" Ino yelled in anger.

"I told you already, bitch. You are to call him Master otherwise you will be punished! Just be glad that I'm only slapping you because you wouldn't enjoy what other punishments I can put you through." Tayuya warned as she walked over to the bathroom and went in closing the door behind her.

"Fucking whore." Ino muttered under her breath as she let her anger fade away.

Ino took the opportunity to sneak out of the bed and put back on her discarded clothes that were scattered around the room. She was debating whether or not she had made the right decision coming but at this point she had no clue where she was. Going back on her own would be near impossible.

Without anything to do she just waited patiently on the bed until Naruto and Tayuya came out both loosely covered in clean white towels. Ino brought her knees to her chest as she watched the two uncomfortably.

Naruto walked over to one side of the room and dropped his towel on the floor. He started picking up articles of clothing that were piled up in a heap. Ino's eyes trailed his features guiltily as she took in every inch of his muscular body.

"Ino stop staring at Master's cock. If you really wanted a good look, you should have just joined us in the shower." Tayuya teased as she took in the look on Ino's face with much satisfaction.

"I wasn't staring at it!" Ino yelled defensively as she blushed furiously.

Naruto turned around to see what the two girls were fighting about now. He had yet to put anything on creating an amusing situation. His eyes lit up with amusement and his lips curled into a genuine smile. He watched Ino blush even harder as he caught her staring.

"You two can flirt more later. I want to make it back before noon." He joked as he finally decided to get dress.

"We weren't flirting!" Ino said in exasperation.

"Don't talk back to Master, slut." Tayuya warned her with a glare.

Ino just sighed and waited for the red head to get dressed as well. She decided to just stare down at the bed sheets to avoid any other accusations because she was still so embarrassed about her actions last night.

She didn't really feel more comfortable with Tayuya since now she had to worry about the red head trying to fuck her too. The whole experience just made Ino doubt herself even more. She had never thought of herself as someone with loose morals but part of her enjoyed the lifestyle she was now living.

The freedom and the control were exhilarating. She was now in charge of her life and did what she wanted. She chose to follow Naruto but she could leave anytime she wanted. She didn't have to listen to anyone and was doing whatever she liked.

The only problem was that she still felt somewhat uneasy about being so alone without anyone to help her. Since she had rarely spent so much time alone in the field, she didn't know how to handle business in foreign towns. She lacked street smarts.

"Ino, we're leaving." Tayuya reminded the platinum blonde as Naruto walked out the door, leaving the two of them to follow him.

Ino got up and ran after them as Tayuya walked through the doorway letting it close slowly. Ino ran through before it slammed shut and fell in line behind her new sister as they walked back to the front desk.

Naruto pulled out a wallet shaped like the boss toad summon to pay the bill. Ino had seen it once when Jiraiya showed it off one day. He dropped money on the counter and walked away casually not really caring if the Inn keeper had anything to say.

They followed Naruto out of the Inn and past the city gates until they were deep in the forest. Naruto stopped suddenly and turned back to Ino and Tayuya. His eyes sparkled with excitement and he had a mischievous smirk on his face.

"We'll, I don't feel like walking the rest of the way… so let's have some fun." Naruto said with a smile.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu." **shouted Naruto as he thrust his palm into the ground.

An enormous cloud of smoke engulfed everything in sight before fading away. Before the wind could blow it away, Ino coughed and sputtered as she struggled to find her way out of it.

The smoke cleared and Ino froze. She eyed the gigantic frog now standing before them. "_T-T-This is the frog Jiraiya-Sama summoned! Isn't this a Sannin level technique? Naruto can pull off such a powerful technique so easily?"_

"Ugh. What is it now, brat?" The Frog beckoned as it puffed it pipe.

"I'm tried of your damn attitude! Master summoned you, not the other way around! So suck it up and follow his request with a smile." Tayuya yelled as she proceeded to kick Gamabunta in the leg.

"So I see you still travel with that infuriating woman of yours, eh, Naruto." The Chief toad commented in mild annoyance as he watched Tayuya attempt to stomp the shit out of his enormous leg.

"Her temper can't be helped." Naruto said with a shrug as they both ignored Tayuya's attack on the Boss Toad Summon.

"Anyway I need a ride so you're taking us back. We're already close by so don't bother complaining." Naruto said as he jumped up incredibly high before running up to the top of the toads head and sitting down Indian style.

Tayuya seeing that Naruto had left her jumped after him taking her place by his side. Ino was still in awe at the pure size of the toad that she had yet to move.

"Ino, get your fat ass over here!" Tayuya yelled from the top of the toad breaking Ino from her fright as she noticed they were waiting for her.

Ino took a few timid steps towards the toad still somewhat convinced it would step on her if she got too close. As she reached his legs, she jumped up and charged chakra to her feet so she could run up the sides to the top.

She balanced her weight as she scaled Gamabunta and jumped. She kicked off from the toad's side before landing behind Naruto and Tayuya. Tayuya had decided to sit directly behind Naruto wrapping her arms around his waist tightly while Naruto was still sitting casually in front of her.

He turned his head back and smirked at her before he started to laugh hysterically.

"What's so funny?" Ino demanded. Her confusion showed and she was feeling a little self conscious as to why he was laughing at her.

"Nothing, I just didn't think you'd be so bold as to stand on Bunta's head on your first ride." Naruto said as he finally stopped laughing and turned back around.

"Wait what's wrong wi..."

Before Ino could finish her question, she felt the crushing force of gravity pummel her body like a hammer. Her knees buckled before she collapsed flat against the toad. The wind was cutting against her face and sending her hair astray. She clutched at the large bumps on Gamabunta's head to keep her from flying away.

She was charging all the chakra she could into her hands and legs but it was no use. She still felt like she would fly away at any second. The force of the wind around her was astonishing. As they soared through the sky, she could see birds flying away in fright.

The worst part seemed to pass but the lull was misleading. Suddenly, the toad King fell to the earth. She clawed at the toad's wart, desperately trying to hang on to avoid free falling to her death. Her body rose off of Gamabunta's head as they landed. The result was an eardrum shattering boom that echoed through the forest and leveled whole acres at a time.

For the next ten minutes, Ino had to suffer the process of the toad's jumping and falling causing her to feel sick. Just when it seemed her stomach would revolt against her, it stopped. Naruto and Tayuya jumped down leaving her barely alive behind them.

She gathered the strength to move and jumped down landing on shaky legs. She fell to her knees still very dizzy from the nauseating ride. A hand was extended and she grabbed it to pull herself to her feet. Surprisingly it was Tayuya's hand that extended the kind gesture.

"_Perhaps she does have a heart after all."_ Ino thought to herself.

"You dumb bitch. Did you really think it would be smart to stand while that shit eating toad hops around?" Tayuya asked as she eyed the motion sick blonde before her.

Ino frowned as her faith in Tayuya returned to its previous levels. "How the fuck was I supposed to know that damn toad would do that?" She yelled as her anger got the best of her.

Tayuya's eyes widen in surprise but then her features softened to a look of approval. "I guess I should have warned you. Are you going to be alright?" Tayuya asked appearing genuinely concerned.

"I'll be fine. I just need a moment." Ino said as she scanned Tayuya's eyes for any hint of insincerity.

"Okay, well don't take too long. We have stuff we need to do." Tayuya said as she walked over to Naruto. He was reciting some sort of bizarre chant while performing hand-seals.

"Naruto, I'm going home." Gamabunta warned as Naruto finished and the wall they were next to morphed into a gate.

"Yeah whatever, Bunta. Say hi to the kids for me." Naruto said as he walked back over to Ino.

Gamabunta dissolved into a cloud of smoke that blanketed the forest. Ino didn't wait for it to cloud her lungs again. Naruto snatched her hand and brought her over to the gate which he had just summoned.

It was about ten feet tall and fourteen wide. It consisted to two large wooden doors that had many patterns and objects carved into it. On the front were faces, weapons, and what looked like summons.

He brought her hand to his mouth and bit her finger with one of his sharp canines. Ino squeaked in surprise but didn't dare pull her arm away from him. He recited more odd chants before he brought her hand to the gate and rubbed the blood across the middle.

The door glowed and the eyes of one of the faces opened and lit up. Ino watched the door in fascination as all of the faces glared at her for several seconds before returning to their peaceful sleep.

"Open!" Naruto ordered as he held out his own hand with his palm facing the door. It slowly creaked open letting out a bright and eerie light that seemed to originate from nowhere in particular.

Naruto walked inside dragging Ino with him as Tayuya brought up the rear. The bright light that blinded Ino faded away. Suddenly, they were in a dimly root room that had cold wet floors and dark aged walls.

Ino looked around in confusion at the sudden change in scenery but Naruto and Tayuya had just continued without really paying attention to her.

"Don't just fucking stand there." Tayuya yelled over her shoulder as Ino looked around in awe.

She snapped out of it and caught up to them. Naruto was leading them through the endless corridors of their new location.

"What is this place?" Ino asked Tayuya after she finally got over the initial shock.

"Orochimaru's central base." Tayuya answered casually.

"Why did we have to go through that strange gate to get here?" Ino questioned as she felt a small wave of fear wash over her.

"Because it's underground and there isn't any other way of getting here without using a gate." Tayuya said as Naruto pulled out a key and unlocked a large door in front of them.

"How is that even possible? Having a place as large as this completely underground without a tunnel that leads to the surface is crazy!" Ino criticized in disbelief.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Tayuya asked in a tone that warned violent action would be taken soon.

"I was just asking a question. Calm down, Tayuya!" Ino retorted as her patience began to wear thin.

"There you two go again." Naruto said with a sigh as he shook his head in disapproval.

"So you're finally back"

Naruto just frowned as he stopped walking and groaned in irritation. "What is it now?" he said sounding slightly annoyed himself.

"You really should consider your words to me carefully. You don't hold the same level of importance as Sasuke which makes you expendable." The man said with his usual look of amusement.

Ino stared at the man trying to remain relaxed but something inside her head kept telling her to keep her guard up. No matter what just the sight of him triggered the enemy alert inside her mind and she couldn't get it to stop.

As he stood there talking to Naruto she glared at him with obvious disapproval. As she monitored his every move, she prepared to defend herself if the situation went south.

"Sooooo, Naruto-kun..." He mocked as he pushed up his glasses slowly letting the light reflect off the lens.

"… Tell me; do you think you can do whatever you want around here without consequence or are you really stupid enough to believe that you are free of obligation to Orochimaru-Sama?" He asked as he glared at Naruto.

"Sucking Orochimaru off is your job, Kabuto. I figured I was free of your so called 'obligations.'" Naruto said barely stopping himself from laughing right in Kabuto's face.

"You're going to be losing some limbs soon so you might as well laugh about it now. Once Orochimaru-Sama finds out what happened, he won't be so calm." Kabuto retorted with a triumphant smile as he relaxed and leaned against the wall.

"Ha ha! Come on Kabuto loosen up. If Orochimaru is in a bad mood I'm sure you know just how to cheer him up." Naruto continued as he gave Kabuto a big wink.

"Just tell me why you didn't do it!" Kabuto demanded.

"Didn't do what?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face.

"Complete the mission you were sent on! Why didn't you assassinate Tuntau Rho like you were told to?" Kabuto.

"Ohh, him. I don't know." Naruto said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"That's not going to cut it." Kabuto warned him as he waited for more of a reason.

"Things didn't go exactly to plan. In the end, I decided that killing him wasn't a very interesting mission so we went somewhere else." Naruto answered in a bored voice as he scratched his chin pretending to recall the events.

"Hmm, you're lucky I had him taken care of personally. That mission was too important to leave entirely to you anyway. With your lack of effort and skill it's a wonder you're still alive." Kabuto said with a laugh but Naruto completely ignored the comment.

"Good talk, Kabuto, good talk." Naruto said sarcastically as he walked past Kabuto and gave him a pat on the back.

"Who the hell is this?" Kabuto said sternly sounding very angry.

Naruto turned around to looked back at Ino "Who? Her?" Naruto asked as he pointed towards Ino.

"Stop playing dumb and tell me." Kabuto demanded.

Naruto took a few steps closer to Ino inspecting her carefully. He leaned forward and squinted hard as he brought his face right up to hers as if examining every pore on her face.

"Hmm, never seen her before in my life." Naruto decided as he turned back around and continued on his way.

"You still think this is a game don't you? Well even you should know better than to bring someone into Orochimaru's base of operations. Now it's too late for her. She's seen far too much to let her leave this place alive." Kabuto said with a smirk as he pulled out a kunai and charged at Ino.

Ino brought her hands up to defend herself but sudden something broke her line of vision with Kabuto. There was a loud sound which was metal striking metal and Ino felt relief as she was saved.

"Don't fucking touch her." Tayuya warned as she tired to force away Kabuto's blade with her own.

"It's not wise to involve yourself with this Tayuya. Back down now!" Kabuto yelled as he tried to overpower her.

"Kabuto, I'm not fucking playing around. Don't you ever fucking try to hurt her!" Tayuya yelled louder as her body was surrounded in a dark aura and she suddenly became littered in markings resembling dark bolted lines.

Kabuto was pushed back a few feet but he just laughed as he stared at Tayuya. "Forced into using your cursed seal so soon? Maybe you aren't as strong as I thought you were."

"Kiss my ass you fucking piece of shit!" Tayuya yelled as the marks slowly receded.

"Well anyway, it's up to Orochimaru if she could be of any use to us. So I'll leave it to him." Kabuto said as he placed the knife back in his pouch and walked pass them.

"Don't think you've gotten away with anything just yet." Kabuto warned them as he left the room.

"I fucking hate that asshole so much!" Tayuya fumed.

"Don't let him get to you." Naruto said as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm gonna fucking drill a kunai through his damn skull one day." Tayuya promised as she stormed towards Naruto.

"You'll get your chance one day." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm going to cherish that day too." Tayuya said with a huge grin.

"C'mon let's go already." Naruto said as he pushed himself off the wall and walked down the hallway.

"Ino don't just stand there." Tayuya barked as she waited for Ino to move.

Ino was still thinking the cursed seal. She had seen it only once during the chunin exams with Sasuke but it was a truly terrifying power even back then. Until then Ino had never really thought about how little she knew of the redhead. Now she was curious but decided to leave her questions for later.

"Hey, Tayuya?" Ino started as she followed her while Naruto led them somewhere.

" What?" Tayuya said sounding little annoyed like always.

"Thanks… for helping me back there. I… I really appreciate it." Ino said timidly.

"Shut up!" Tayuya said sounding even more irate.

"What?" Ino asked in confused.

"Shut up! We're supposed to look out for each other so there's no point thanking me. I expect you to react in the exact same way if I am ever in danger, okay?" Tayuya said waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, of course but still..." Ino started.

"Ino if you even start to thank me again I'm going to hit you." Tayuya warned.

Ino laughed but decided not to test Tayuya because there was a good chance she wasn't bluffing. She was just glad that Tayuya had her back if anything went wrong even if she threatened her the next minute.

"Ino." Naruto called out as he stopped in front of a door.

"Yes?" Ino said as they all stopped.

"This is an empty room close to ours so you can put your stuff in here. Unfortunately all the rooms here are pretty small but since this one is right next to ours we can combine them." Naruto offered.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked.

"We tore down the wall separating Tayuya's room from mine and then pushed the beds together so it's on large one. We can do that with your room too." Naruto explained.

"Oh… umm… no thanks. I think I'd rather have my privacy. Besides, I don't want to share a bed with you guys. That's just… weird." Ino said.

"Privacy? What the hell are you going to be doing in there? Masturbating?" Tayuya said as she started to laugh while Ino got very embarrassed.

"What is wrong with you?! Why does everything have to be about sex with you?!" Ino said as she blushed even more despite her fury.

"You have to excuse Tayuya. She's somewhat of an addict." Naruto said laughing as well.

"Lighten up already. You need to stop being so damn shy." Tayuya said still chuckling to herself.

"Well anyway we need to talk so if you would please excuse us." Naruto said to Tayuya donning a more serious tone.

"Why can't I come?" Tayuya pouted.

"Tayuya!" Naruto said sternly giving her a look that told her to just let it be.

"Humph. I'll be in our room." She said as she walked away to the door next to Ino's and slammed it shut behind her.

"After you, my dear." Naruto said as he held open the door and Ino walked inside cautiously.

The room itself was very plain and empty. On one side was a small desk with a single lamp on it and on the other side was an uncomfortable looking bed that was somewhat dusty.

Ino walked in and sat on the bed to find out that the mattress was just as hard as it appeared. She looked up as Naruto pulled out the chair from the desk and sat in it backwards resting his arms on top of the back of the chair.

"So... what's up?" Ino asked after a few seconds of silence.

"There's something I need to tell you about… I know we've already talked about my…plans for the future but there is still a lot you don't know." Naruto began.

"Like what?" Ino asked feeling a bit nervous as to what other things could she not be aware of.

"I don't know how much you thought about what I told you but there are things that will need to be done before we can set up our new village. But first I need to remind you that you've been living a lie your entire life. You know only what they want you to know and until you realize that you can't go any further." Naruto started.

"What are you talking about?" Ino said in confusion.

"There's a chance that we might have to attack Konoha." Naruto said simply waiting to see Ino's reaction.

"WHAT?! Why?! You can't possibly mean that! I know your life in Konoha as hard but you just can't do that! I thought you weren't bitter. I thought you let that part of your life go." Ino said in a panic.

"If it comes to that, it won't be for my benefit." Naruto said without emotion.

"Then what?! What possible reason could you have to destroying the village we both grew up in?" Ino demanded

"To save those that are important to me." Naruto said.

"How are you saving them if you destroy Konoha?!" Ino said in outrage.

"You don't know what Konoha is, Ino. That's why I told you to just forget everything you've been told. Konoha is a ninja village and just like all the others there is a side you've never seen; one you never could have imagined existed. Lies, corruption and assassinations are what should be in the history books." Naruto said in a grim tone as he continued.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked feeling more lost than before.

"Konoha has been in a state of shadow warfare since its conception. From the very beginning, the two clans it was founded on have been trying to kill each other; the Uchiha and the Senju. For years they have been killing each other off but as you can tell, the Senju have lost those wars. They are so thinly spread that the only known member is Tsunade. That's not because she's the only one left but rather she's the only one not in hiding." Naruto explained.

"Wait, what is the Senju Clan?" Ino asked even more confused.

"Ha! You've never heard of it have you? It's the clan of the First Hokage. There's a reason they don't mention much it. They're trying to hide the fact that the clan is near extinction due to the fighting. Even more important is the illusion that is the title of Hokage." Naruto said.

"What's strange about the position of Hokage?" Ino asked.

"It's all a lie. Pretty soon the Hokage will be nothing more than a public figure and unfortunately that day may come sooner than later." Naruto said with a frown.

"What's going on? If the Hokage is going to be nothing more than a figurehead, than whom really runs Konoha?" Ino asked.

"There's another important piece of the puzzle. There is one group of people that have been hell bent on destroying the Sharingan since its very birth; one conflict that has had a domino effect with everything else." Naruto said with a smirk.

"Who?" Ino asked anxiously.

"The Hyuuga." Naruto said bluntly.

"What ?!"

"There's bad blood between the two clans. It's been like that forever. Think about it. Do you ever remember seeing the Hyuuga anywhere near the Uchiha? The Hyuuga use to avoid the Uchiha like they were cursed." Naruto told Ino.

"But why? Why would they hate the Uchiha?" Ino asked.

"It is said that the Sharingan descended from the Byakugan. So that means that the Uchiha clan must have evolved from the Hyuuga. Now think how the Hyuuga must have felt about the Uchiha. Uchiha's are cocky, arrogant and believe they are naturally better than everyone else." Naruto explained.

"Then take into account that the Sharingan completely outshines the Byakugan in every possible way. The Hyuuga couldn't take it. Even to this day, they consider themselves royalty yet they wouldn't last a second against an Uchiha's eyes. This is why they pitted the Senju against the Uchiha. Both clans had reached peace agreement before Konoha was created so to cause strife, the Hyuuga re-ignited the flame of hate."

"By framing the Uchiha for a murder, the battle began. Slowly each side weakened the other. The Hyuuga remained in the shadows until the Shodaime passed away. They began to gain influence and power within Konoha while everyone else was distracted. Finally, the Nidaime worked to end the conflict once and for all."

"The corruption bled into every aspect of the government of Konoha within a short amount of time. With the Hyuuga being one of the first clans to join, it was only natural that they had a seat in power form the start. With the Senju out of the picture and the Uchiha reduced to a single rogue, the Hyuuga took everything that they wanted."

"Somewhere down the line, they gained control of the council itself and placed their supporters into the position of the Hokage's personal advisors. Over the years they have formed a group willing to fight and die for their cause and they've been very successful. They believe that the Uchiha are dangerous and that our Hokage has been too weak. They want to claim dominance in the fire country at any cost and that's why they need to be stopped."

"I don't know what their plans are but I don't want to wait for them to do something. Tsunade is in danger and I fear that if I don't do something they will kill her. Once she's been taken care of, it's only a matter of time before they run Konoha into the ground. For that reason, we have to assassinate every member of the conspiracy group before they fully take over Konoha."

Ino sat there in shock. She was trying to comprehend everything Naruto had just told her but it was just too much.

"You can't possible expect to take on the entire Hyuuga clan?" Ino said out loud as she thought everything through.

"It's not the entire clan anymore. As time went on, the truth was only revealed to the highest people within the clan to the point that only a few know anymore. Now the group is a mix of ninja and figurehead's in Konoha who all follow one leader. This leader is the one with the entire council in his pocket including Tsunade's top advisors." Naruto informed her.

"Who is that?" Ino asked.

"Hiashi Hyuuga." Naruto told her with a bitter smile.

"Hinata's father?!" Ino screamed.

"He's been pulling the strings behind every major decision for the past couple of years and that's why Tsunade is in trouble. She got suspicious and now she is getting too close the truth. The only reason I know is because Jiraiya finally uncovered it all but that story is for another time."

"Basically, Tsunade's been trying to find a way to fight them but it's impossible. She still doesn't know Hiashi is in charge and it has to stay that way. If she finds out, they will kill her for sure. Jiraiya and I have been keeping watch on her but it's no good." Naruto said with a frown as he suddenly looked very conflicted.

"But if you and Jiraiya know about them, why don't you convince her to bring this information to the public? If everyone knew I'm sure Konoha would be able to get rid of Hiashi?" Ino asked.

"It's not the easy. They have too much control and we don't know how far their influence goes. Besides who is going to believe any of that without proof? It's better to take care of the problem directly instead of wasting time." Naruto said before letting out a long sigh.

"Why doesn't Jiraiya do something? He's a Sannin after all!" Ino said as she started to get upset.

"You don't get it. We have no clue what we'd be going against right now. We have to identify everyone in command first so that the survivors don't regroup and attack us later. We're severely outnumbered and we'll only get one opportunity to attack. We have to make damn sure we get it right the first time." Naruto explained.

"Wait, is Jiraiya going to fight with you?" Ino asked.

"Of course. Don't tell me you thought I came up with everything by myself." Naruto said with a laugh.

"Well I don't know. Things are a lot different now I thought you were behind all this scheming." Ino confessed.

"Not entirely. Ino, I would never abandon Konoha if I didn't believe it was for the best. I would never be like Sasuke and turn my back on my friends for power." Naruto said visibly getting angry at just the mention of Sasuke.

"Then why did you do it?" Ino asked not truly understanding what he was getting at.

"At first I was chasing after Sasuke but of course things didn't go as I expected. I was young and naïve when I thought I could just drag him back. When I didn't succeed, I tried returning home but things weren't like I thought they would be…" Naruto said trailing off as he recalled some kind of memory that must have been painful judging by his face.

"Then what?" Ino asked curiously hoping to hear more of the story.

"Jiraiya found me. I told him I wasn't ready to return to Konoha without Sasuke so he helped me find him again. After being beaten a second time, I guess I realized it was pointless but Jiraiya had other plans."

"Orochimaru kidnapped me after the fight and had Kabuto keep watch on me for a week in order to heal me. When I finally woke up from basically a nine day coma he told me I was to be one of Orochimaru's subjects."

"They were astonished that I managed to find them multiple times. I guess they thought it would be safer taking me in rather than risking me leading people to them. The truth was it was all Jiraiya but they didn't know that. So they brought me along."

"His plan was to have me leak him information about Orochimaru and his goals from inside his own compound. Jiraiya didn't believe Orochimaru was done with Konoha after the third died, so he wanted to be ready if another attack was in the works."

"I did it because I hoped that I could eventual change Sasuke. Jiraiya had also explained to me the importance of stopping Orochimaru before he attacked again. He said that a Ninja must make sacrifices and the ability to make good choices is essential in a shinobi's growth."

"I thought that becoming Jiraiya's spy would help me achieve all my goals; rescuing Sasuke, one day becoming Hokage, and saving all those precious to me. But now I realize that I can't have everything that I want and the list of sacrifices I have to make will only grow."

"At first I was merely a punching bag for Sasuke but then Orochimaru became interested in the Kyuubi. He started trying to harness its power which only led to very painful and twisted experiments. Somewhere down the line, the Kyuubi's soul started to merge with my own. We were mixing together but Orochimaru was unsure which persona will be dominant."

"This is how I got my power. Orochimaru fucked around with the seal and then tried to repair it. He didn't know what he was doing though and now I'm probably going to die from the merge. The worst part is that I don't know when. I've been getting help from everyone but when the Kyuubi tries to fight the fusion, the bastard can bring me into a world of hurt."

"I don't understand. How did the Kyuubi give you those powers?" Ino asked.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. It's like if I concentrate hard enough to push out some of the Kyuubi's chakra… I can echo my thoughts into others. Then if I visualize something really vividly I can imprint memories into someone. It's really complicated and I haven't gotten it to work completely."

"Why doesn't it work?" Ino asked confused.

"It's like overlapping a mental image with another one. So if I do it wrong, the person will notice that either time skipped or things suddenly changed. It's hard for me to tell if I did it right though since I don't know how the subject remembers things. Actually I did it to you so you must have some idea what it's like" Naruto thought out loud as he scratched his chin.

"What?! You altered my memory? When?" Ino panic as she thought about anything that didn't seem right in the past.

Naruto smiled "So It worked? Great! Usually the imprinted memories degrade after a while since the person mentally denies them and then they get shifted depending on the person's emotions." Naruto explained

Ino remained silent as she tried to figure out what memories of hers didn't seem right but she didn't know what to look for.

"So… anything seem out of the ordinary?" Naruto asked as he leaned in closer to her.

"I'm not sure." Ino admitted after a while.

"I'll give you hint. It's something that happened when we first meet." Naruto said with a smile.

Ino's eyes widen as she put together the missing pieces. Naruto was still next to her awaiting her response. Instead of replying, an angry expression grew on her beautiful features. She slapped Naruto hard across the face.

He stumbled a few feet before catching his balance and rubbing his sore cheek. "Wow! I didn't see that coming." He mumbled to himself with an amused chuckle.

"Do you really mean to tell me what went on in your room was just a damn illusion?!" Ino yelled in anger as she felt the urge to kick Naruto's ass.

"Not all of it. I did take your clothes off and felt you up a little bit…" Naruto admitted with a perverted smirk.

"What about the rest?!" Ino demanded.

"The rest of it wasn't real. It's not an illusion because the whole event that happened in your mind only took two second in reality. I'm guessing you can't recall that night perfectly, eh?" Naruto asked.

"You stupid son of a bitch! Why would you do that to me?" Ino said as she debated hitting Naruto again.

"To see if you could be trusted but more importantly to see if you could handle what I was going to ask from you." Naruto said as he sat back down in his chair.

"How did doing that accomplish anything?" Ino screamed.

"Well… you could have alerted the ANBU that I was back and with a crime like rape they would have wanted my head. So just by keeping quiet, you proved that you won't sell me out later. Emotionally it was a dramatic event but if you couldn't handle that level of torture you won't be able to handle the level of emotional and physical torture you're going to have to endure just by being here. " Naruto explained.

Ino was still fuming but didn't react anymore.

"I'm sorry I did it though. It… wasn't the best method and I realize it must have made this whole decision really hard for you. If it makes you feel any better I suffer greatly for having such a powerful gift. This power comes with terrible side effects that make me want to rip my face off sometimes." Naruto said in a serious tone.

"I guess I'm over it now but don't ever use your powers on me again okay." Ino said as she relaxed.

"Of course." Naruto replied in a tired voice.

Ino stared into Naruto's eyes. He was thinking about something now that must have been bothering him.

"What side effects are there?" Ino asked as she hoped to bring things to a lighter subject.

"Most times it's like a constant shriek is echoing in the back of my mind and I can feel its venomous chakra pulsing through me. The feel of the chakra isn't so bad but it's the throbbing headaches and screaming that gets to me eventually. It feels like someone is driving screws through my skull while all the nerves in my body are melting." Naruto said as he stood up and decided to lean against the wall.

There was a brief silence as Ino thought about everything Naruto had just told her. All kinds of things that she didn't even think possible in her worst nightmares were his reality.

"I'm sorry." Ino whispered after a while of just processing the information.

"Hmm?" Naruto said in confusion.

"I… I didn't know you had it so hard. I couldn't imagine having to make decisions like that and living a double life just for people that don't even appreciate it. All this time I wasn't sure if you really had gone rogue or not but it turns out you're even more devoted to Konoha then ever." Ino said with a smile.

"I guess I have Jiraiya to thank for that. No matter what happened, he never let me forget that there's always something worth fighting for. At this point I'm determined to save Tsunade no matter what the cost and that's all the motivation I need right now." Naruto said with a smile.

"What about Sasuke?" Ino asked out of curiosity.

The smile on Naruto's face instantly disappeared and was replaced with a harsh scowl. He turned his head over looking at the wall absent mindedly as he continued. "Sasuke is a different case. It's personal now."

"You sound really bitter Naruto. I know it must be really hard but don't you think you shouldn't focus on him anymore?" Ino suggested.

"I can't stand what he's become. He was someone I loved as a brother yet I had to watch him transform into a heartless, traitorous fuck! Guess it runs in the family. And for what? For fucking revenge? Is that worth denying all the love and support from the whole village for?" Naruto said as he started to raise his voice.

Ino didn't say anything, the stark change in speech alone frightened her and she didn't know what to expect. Naruto stopped as he noticed her fear. He leaned back against the wall with a look of hurt so deep that it appeared he could cry.

"I envied Sasuke… no… I idolized him. He had everything I ever wanted; praise, respect, natural talent, recognition… Sakura…" Naruto suddenly had a far off look in his eye. He shook his head and regained focus. "I had to suffer with this constant reminder that I was born inferior while he was put on a pedestal. He spit on the things handed to him that were everything I craved in life. I even pitied the bastard enough to pull back in our fight and for what? For him to give me a big fuck you, stab me through the chest and run off with the infamous, cock-sucking, snake bastard himself." Naruto chewed out bitterly.

"I guess I understand…" Ino said after a moment of thinking.

"No… you don't. I just can't let that level of betrayal go. It will haunt me forever. I would have given anything to be Sasuke. The people adored him. I would have torn my arm off for that attention. He had it all and threw it all away for power. Not only that, he was willing to piss on all of his friends to do it. The first person I really bonded with decided I wasn't worth being friends with anymore. At the time it completely crushed me. I had felt rejection and betrayal before but from someone who I considered a brother… No. He gets no more chances. I'm through with him. When we meet again, he will die."

"The bond of friendship has turned into a bond of mortal enemies. The only way I'll ever be free from those bonds is if one of us dies and I'm not willing to lose to Sasuke again." Naruto said as he clutched his fist in anger.

"That's pretty extreme though." Ino commented as she looked at Naruto.

"One of us has to win, Ino. Fate has pinned us against each other as rivals and until someone claims victory I will be competing with Sasuke for the rest of my life. I just want to be done with this whole ordeal. I feel like he is the obstacle I was meant to overcome and until I do that I'll never have peace." Naruto confessed.

"I guess that makes sense but there might be another way. I just don't want this anger to consume you otherwise you'll be just like him." Ino said hoping that Naruto would listen to her warning.

Naruto stared back at her. His eyes showing a mixture of anger and hurt but before he could say anything the door opened. Kabuto walked in with a crooked smirk on his face. He stopped to look at Naruto who was still standing calmly in the shadows of the room.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." Kabuto said with a laugh.

"Go away I'm not in the mood for your shit." Naruto said as he ignored the Kabuto.

"Have you really forgotten your place already? Maybe I should remind you of it." Kabuto said as he ignited his chakra scalpel.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked in a stern voice ignored the fact that Kabuto was advancing on him slowly.

"Orochimaru-Sama wants a word with both of you." He informed them with a grin.

"Fine, let's go." Naruto said to Ino as he walked past Kabuto without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Kabuto growled at him but turned his attention back to Ino "C'mon, you wouldn't want to anger Orochimaru now would you?"

**A/N****:** Okay it's official this time, flashback ends next chapter. Well I hope you guys like were this is going, there will be more interesting developments later on so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Peace.


	4. As The World Turns

**A/N:** I thought I'd update this story before I start forgetting what I wanted to write. This is personally my favorite story out of everything I've written so I want to see it reach its fullest potential. The Flashback ends this chapter and we return to where we left off in the first chapter. I want to push this along because this is going to end up being longer than any other of my stories already just from looking at how far I've gotten already. There's still a ton of things that are going to happen, I've only really covered background and setting in four whole chapters ha ha.

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

**Jutsu**

Chapter 4: As The World Turns

Ino found herself in a dark hallway following Kabuto. Her heart was pounding so rapidly inside her chest. She looked around at Naruto and Tayuya, they both appeared perfectly calm even carefree.

Ino paid close attention to Naruto, he had a bored expression on his face but at the same time he was clearly pensive. Tayuya on the other hand seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep.

As they walked Naruto moved closer to her and whispered something to her quickly without Kabuto noticing. The sleepy look on her face instantly disappeared and a smirk came graced her lips.

Naruto backed away and smiled to himself as they continued to walk. Ino still felt unbelievable nervous because she would soon be face to face with one of the most feared ninja in the world.

Someone who she had heard countless stories of because of how evil and powerful he was. She knew Naruto and Tayuya were strong but she knew even they couldn't protect her from Orochimaru.

Kabuto stopped suddenly bringing Ino's attention back to her surroundings. They were in a large dark damp room filled with large tanks of water. Inside the tanks were different things ranging with bodies to odd animals that Ino had never seen before.

They were facing a large circular C-shaped desk littered with vials and documents. In the middle of the desk was a pale figure whose face was covered by his long dark hair.

"Orochimaru-Sama" Kabuto said as he stood in front of the desk.

"What do you want?" Orochimaru barked out as he looked up from his files.

"It appears Naruto brought in a guest, I figured you'd find something good to do with her" Kabuto said with a devious smile.

Orochimaru stood up now, his yellow snake eyes glowing maliciously as he looked at the group of people in front of him. Suddenly Ino found it very hard to breathe as her eyes locked with the vile pupils of Orochimaru.

A sickly grin came upon his face; he walked around the desk and stood next to Kabuto mere feet away from Ino._ Oh god, why is he looking at me like that? Please don't come any closer, _Ino prayed silently.

"Hmmm" Orochimaru said as he studied her closely.

"She's a Konoha Nin, chunnin level, from the Yamanka Clan. Apparently they have an interesting mind-body transfer jutsu. It's not a bloodline trait but it's something that is only passed down amongst clan members." Kabuto informed him.

"I've heard of that jutsu, it's one of the few I haven't been able to replicate yet. Perhaps I'll keep her around until I've mastered it myself" Orochimaru thought out loud as he walked up to Ino.

Her heart skipped a beat as he reached out and grabbed her chin tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes.

"What do you think? Will you dedicate your life to serving me or would you rather die right now?" Orochimaru asked as he laughed to himself.

Ino remained too petrified to speak.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me my appearance frightens you?" Orochimaru mocked as he let his tongue slighter dangerously close to her cheek.

Ino flinched as the long wicked tongue almost made contact with her skin. Orochimaru flung her by the chin almost sending her flying if Tayuya did not catch her from slamming into one of the large tubes.

"Send her to the pit; if she survives then we'll deploy her with the other two." He said as he sat back down at his desk.

Kabuto appeared outraged but kept his opinion to himself.

"..And Naruto if you decide to bring more vermin to my lair I'll rend your head from your body" Orochimaru added as he started to write.

"I love you too snake-eyes" Naruto shot back at him with as much sarcasm as possible.

"Don't think this is over, just because Orochimaru seems to enjoy testing you doesn't mean I will let this go" Kabuto warned.

"Whatever..." Naruto said in a bored voice as he rested his hands on the back of his head.

"Bring her to the pit immediately, I'll find her challenger" Kabuto said with a very satisfied look on his face.

Ino shot a nervous look towards Naruto how appeared to be unfazed by the comment. Kabuto walked away from them clearly all too delighted while Tayuya walked over to Naruto and started whispering something to him.

They talked amongst themselves for a few moments before they separated and Tayuya came up to Ino's side.

"How are you feeling right now?" Tayuya asked examining her body language.

"I-I'm fine, what's going on?" Ino asked nervously.

"You're going to the pit" Tayuya said casually.

"Why?" Ino asked anxiously.

"You'll be fighting someone else to the death; if you win you're officially a sound nin." Tayuya informed her.

"What?! Wait isn't there something else I can do? I'm not ready for something like this so soon!" Ino panicked as the news she just received sunk in.

"Stop being such a fucking baby! Did you think you'd come here and everything would just be a big fucking game. We've risked a lot brining your dumb ass here so you better not die" Tayuya

"Don't you think I need a little more warning than this? What the hell is wrong with you!? Can't you be a little bit understanding for once?" Ino yelled back getting equally as angry.

"Ino relax, everything is going to be alright just calm down and focus because knowing Kabuto your opponent is going to be strong." Naruto said as he put his hand on her shoulder trying to get her to relax.

"I'm not ready for this yet, you've seen me get my ass handed to me by Tayuya. I'm no where near the level of you two so how am I suppose to beat whoever Kabuto is getting." Ino asked in fear.

"Recruits only have to fight those at the bottom of our current roster; you'll be fighting someone from the lowest group here. I'm not going to lie, Ino this is going to be hard but that doesn't mean you can't succeed." Naruto said as he ushered her into a large arena like room.

"Here" Tayuya barked out as she handed Ino a pouch of weapons.

"Don't worry, I got you some insurance" Naruto said with a wink as he walked over to a dark haired girl who was standing near a sand pit.

"Kin!" Naruto called out as he approached her. She instantly turned to face him and leaned in as he whispered something to her. She nodded obediently and he left her alone as Kabuto gave her a list of orders.

Ino looked around to see a girl with dark green hair standing in the middle of the pit sharpening a kunai idly as she waited. She was a little taller than Ino and was hearing a white and beige sleeveless shirt with black ninja pants.

Her hair was wild and flowed down her back but her face was fierce and the look in her eyes showed how focused she was. She had on a large black belt that was covered with weapons that clanked together as she moved.

Tayuya leaned in towards Ino and whispered to her as Ino eyed her opponent, "Try to get her towards the east side of the pit so where it would be hard to see what's going on"

"Why?" Ino asked confused by Tayuya just walked away towards the other side of the room and sat down facing Ino.

"Hey you get in the pit" Kin yelled.

Ino felt her heart racing again as she reluctantly took a few steps towards the pit. She locked eyes with the green haired girl who was now eyeing her menacingly.

_I can't do this! I don't even know who this girl is... how could I possibly kill her? This is all happening so fast I'm not ready for this yet. _

Ino's foot barely touched the blood drenched sand of the pit before the girl opposite of her took off at lighting speed towards her. Ino raised her hand to protect herself but she wasn't fast enough and a fist connected with her face sending her stumbling back.

Just as she caught her balance she caught sight of three shuriken heading towards her head. She ducked reached for the pouch Tayuya gave her. She grabbed the first thing she found and threw it as hard as she could towards the girl.

Just as a Kunai left her hand she noticed a small piece of paper attached to it. A bright light flashed as sand and smoke flew everywhere. Something large and metal cut through the clearing smoke.

Light reflected off the corner of a huge senbon alerting Ino of the incoming attack last second. She twisted her body in an attempt to avoid the blow but it still grazed her leg leaving a huge gash in her thigh.

"Arrhhggg!!" Ino yelled as she grabbed her left leg and tried to ignore the pain.

As Ino was distracted the green haired girl dived at her and slammed her foot into her stomach. Ino fell back and rolled in the sand desperately trying to force air back into her lungs.

A foot collided with her ribs suddenly causing a loud crack to echo throughout the large room.

Ino screamed in pain but forced herself to pull out another kunai from her bag. She tossed it sloppily at the girl standing above her preparing her final blow. Ino forced herself to roll rapidly away as another explosion separated them.

She managed to struggle back to her feet. Ino panted desperately as she tried to ignore the pulsing pain in her side.

"Kill that stupid bitch Ino!" Tayuya yelled from the side of the room.

Ino focused and launched at the girl throwing a well placed kick at her opponents head. The kick connected and she followed up with an elbow to the face. The girl wiped out a kunai and lunged at Ino.

"Fuck her up Obella!!" Someone else cheered.

Ino dodged the blow and punched her as hard as she could in the jaw. She twisted and launched the kunai at Ino's already injured leg. Ino jumped back avoiding further injury and positioned herself to block another attack.

The girl threw her body at Ino as hard as she could slamming her shoulder into Ino's face. Ino's head flung back but then a fist collided with her face from both sides knocking her around.

Punch after punch made contact with Ino's face followed by a strong knee to the stomach and a heavy kick across the face. Ino fell backwards just as Obella grabbed Ino by the shoulder before she hit the ground. Obella twisted her waist and threw Ino across the pit slamming her body in the dirty sand.

Ino quickly tried to make it back to her feet but she could already see the girl approaching her at top speed with another blade already in hand. Ino crawled desperately into the corner of the room trying to save herself from the vicious girl.

Fear took over her as she struggled to find the strength to fight back. The girl abruptly twitched her neck and fell to the ground screaming in pain. Ino watched in confusion as she pulled a long thin needle from her neck.

Ino looked over her shoulder to see Tayuya with a satisfied smirk on her face. As they made eye contact Tayuya gave Ino a wink. Ino spun around to see the girl clearly in pain; she was breathing heavily and struggling to find her balance.

Ino got to her feet and did a sweeping kick knocking the girl down. Ino jumped on her and started punching her in the face as hard as she could letting out all her pent up rage. The girl spit up blood but managed to take another swing at Ino sinking her kunai in her shoulder.

Obella kicked Ino off of her and pulled herself to her feet. She stumbled around as she seemed incapable of finding her sense of balance. Ino pulled out her last kunai and ripped off the explosive tag placing it in the sand.

Ino threw the kunai she was holding at her causing her dodge it sloppily. Ino pulled the kunai out of her should and charged the girl while she was distracted plunging it deep into her stomach.

The girl scream in pain as Ino repeatedly stabbed her in the stomach as her rage induced adrenaline took over her. She head butted the girl in the face breaking her nose causing her to fall back still stumbling.

She was holding her bleeding stomach as she tripped and fell right on the explosive tag causing her body to be thrown ten feet away as bloody sand misted around her. Ino panted desperately as she looked at the bloody and burnt body of the lifeless girl half covered in sand.

"Check for a pulse" Kin called out as she watched the body for any sign of life.

A sound nin that was watching from the side lines jumped down into the pit and ran to the body. He hunched over and checked for a pulse.

"She's maggot food now" He reported with a laugh.

"Call someone to take care of the body, Ino is the winner" She announced.

Ino took a few uneasy steps but dropped to her knees, the blood lost was finally getting to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel herself being lifted with her own arm thrown over someone's shoulder.

Ino opened her eyes to see Tayuya helping her out of the pit.

"See I told you to stop bitching, now wasn't that easy?" Tayuya asked as she carried Ino out.

"I'm about to bleed to death..." Ino said with a weak laugh.

"Stop being so dramatic, it's just a flesh wound" Tayuya joked.

"By the way, what did you do to her?" Ino asked.

"That needle was dipped in poison, it's a strong neurotoxin that offsets the targets equilibrium" Tayuya answered.

"Thanks..." Ino said weakly.

"Stop talking so much, you need to rest for now. Naruto is already making plans for your training" Tayuya said.

Ino wanted to ask more but she could feel her strength leaving her slowly. She felt herself being dropped onto a bed as her eyes fell shut. There were multiple voices speaking around her as she lay nearly coconscious.

"Are you sure bringing her here was a good idea, she barely survived that fight"

"Don't worry about it Naruto-Sama knows what he's doing"

"Your lucky I was there instead of Sakon, he wouldn't have let you get away with interfering"

"Sakon won't get in the way. As soon as Naruto-Sama gives the word I'm ending his life myself."

"Don't you think Kabuto will be suspicious that Obella lost to this girl?"

"Kabuto is not an issue... the real problem is everyone else. She needs to be able to defend herself against the rest of there damn savages around here"

"What is Naruto planning?"

"You don't fucking need to know!"

"How come you guys still keep me in the dark? Haven't I proven myself yet? Don't I deserve to be included?"

"Only I know the plan, that's just how this works. The less people that know the better, it shouldn't matter to you anyway. Your role is one that requires you to be in the background"

"Well is there anything I should know about?"

"This girl is important to both Naruto-Sama and myself so you better make sure nothing happens to her!"

"I understand that but what else?"

"I don't know yet, Naruto-Sama might want you helping her train but I could be wrong."

"Looking at how she did today she's going to need all the help she can get, why did he go through all this trouble for her?"

"I told you to stop asking questions, just make sure her wounds are taken care of"

"Okay, I'll keep her here tonight but she should be up tomorrow so one of you will have to come get her"

"Don't worry she'll be kept real busy from now on"

* * *

**(TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER)**

Ino ran as fast as she could through the dense forest. She was covered in sweat and bandages but she never felt better in her life. She jumped up and ran up a particularly large tree find a good vantage point on a long branch.

She was just wearing her bra and a very tight pair of shorts. The rest of her clothes only got in the way considering they were halfway burnt and covered in sweat anyway. Ino wiped the dirt and ash off her forehead as she tried to slow down her breathing.

She looked around for any sign of movement but found none. Something shiny caught her attention and she dived off the branch she was perched on disappearing into a bush.

Tayuya jumped down from the canopy and landed near the tree Ino jumped out of. She looked around for any sign of Ino. Tayuya pulled out a kunai and crept silently around expecting a sneak attack any moment.

The sound of rustling leafs caught her attention. She spun around just in time to see Ino charging at her, she was holding her forearm of her right and focusing her chakra.

**CHIDORI **

There was a loud crackling sound as the chakra took the form of electricity and started to pulse wildly. Ino took a jab at Tayuya's face trying to send her lighting charged fist through her head.

Tayuya grabbed Ino's forearms and twisted it abruptly sending her on her back. Ino groaned and reached for her sore back.

" God damnit Ino I told you your Chidori isn't ready yet. You can barely keep your chakra together, besides your not fast enough either." Tayuya reprimanded.

"Fuck off" Ino yelled as she rolled over on her side cradling her damaged hand.

She looked at her hand in discontent, she was still learning how to do the Chidori and she usually just ended up causing herself painful chakra burns. After some test they found out that she had lighting based chakra so naturally Naruto wanted her to learn the Chidori.

The only problem is that Naruto didn't even know the Chidori so the only way to teach Ino was from scrolls and the experiences Naruto had from being on the opposite end of Sasuke's chidori.

Ino had a strong drive to succeed though so she had managed to make great progress considering she was basically teaching herself minus the random pointers from Tayuya.

"Get your fat ass up, we've only been sparring for three hours. You want to get stronger don't you?" Tayuya asked as she kicked Ino in the butt.

"You burnt my damn shirt off you bitch" Ino whined as she rolled over on her stomach.

" I only burnt half of it stop fucking complaining. You shouldn't have been standing still anyway" Tayuya said as she decided to sit on Ino's back.

Ino groaned in exhaustion as the added weight of Tayuya pushed her harder against the floor.

"C'mon you lazy bitch" Tayuya said as she slapped Ino's ass as hard as she could.

Ino just kicked weakly but remained exactly where she was.

"I hate you" Ino said jokingly in a weak voice as she closed her eyes and thought about taking a nap.

"Why the hell are you so tired today ?" Tayuya asked.

"I was training with Kin all morning before this. Naruto-Sama even helped me with my chakra molding this afternoon." Ino said as she got comfortable.

"Hmm I guess you have an excuse today but tomorrow I'm going to run your ass into the ground so you better not have any excuses" Tayuya warned her.

"Fine.." Ino said reluctantly but she smiled at the thought of another hard day of training.

She loved the feeling of pure exhaustion, it had become a comfort to her. She worked herself to the point were she couldn't feel pain anymore on a daily occasion. The work paid off though and she woke up feeling stronger every day motivating her to work harder even more.

Tayuya got off Ino and walked a few feet expecting Ino to be by her side. She turned around to see Ino sleeping peacefully in the grass with a content smile on her face. Tayuya sighed as she shook her head, she walked over to the blonde and threw her over her shoulders.

"Damn heavy bitch" Tayuya whined as she carried Ino over her shoulders back towards the base they were currently staying at.

They changed location as frequently as every week at times but recently Orochimaru had left with Kabuto leaving everyone for themselves. Life still went on as usual though for Tayuya and Ino, training night and day was just the lifestyle they chose to embrace.

Naruto trained with them too most of the time but there were periods were he would disappear only to return days later with no explanation of where he had been. That bothered Ino to no end but Tayuya seemed used to it and didn't even comment on his absences.

They're life together had changed a lot since Ino had proven herself as a sound nin. She had formed a much better relationship with Tayuya since they spent so much time together and now she actually had a decent understanding of the redhead while at the same time she found herself being more and more drawn towards Naruto.

She didn't know why but there was something so appealing about him when she saw how he handles things. Watching him lead them and how calm and power he seems just made respect him all the more.

There was nothing about him that the blonde didn't think was extraordinary and she wanted to be by his side more than ever now. Naruto had been so supportive of her and always made her feel appreciated and she was falling in love with him for it.

Everything seemed perfect, she was truly standing out and was a part of something that she thought was worthwhile. She was finding her place in the world and she owed it all to Naruto and Tayuya.

Ino opened her eyes slowly to find herself in the cool dark surroundings of the hidden base they were staying at. She looked around to find herself over Tayuya's shoulder while the redhead carried her through the building.

As she was carried her eyes caught a glimpse of something red, she looked up to see a Sharingan studying them from across the room but it faded into the distance as Tayuya carried her away.

Ino glared back at Sasuke knowing very well that he could probably make out the dirty look she was giving him. She had very little interaction with him but she was aware that they were enemies.

Naruto was always fighting with him and both of them would come back bruised and very bloody but it was obvious both of them were holding back. The competition between the two of them was almost sickening but Ino knew she couldn't do anything about it.

She stopped glaring as they turned towards and room and suddenly Ino was dropped on a soft bed. Tayuya ignored the small yelp of surprise Ino made as she fell on the bed and continued with her business.

" Where's Naruto-Sama ?" Ino asked after a few moments of watching Tayuya take off her gear.

"How the fuck am I suppose to know ?" Tayuya said as she kicked off her boots.

"Well what good are you then ?" Ino complained as she cuddled up in the bed.

"He's probably off meeting with that old nasty perverted mentor of his" Tayuya suggested as she changed into some shorts.

"How come he doesn't take us along with him?" Ino asked as if her feelings were hurt that she wasn't invited.

"It would be too suspicious if we all disappeared at once, it's bad enough that he's gone for a few days as it is." Tayuya said as she rummaged through her closest and pulling out a towel.

"You look like hell, don't you think you should clean yourself off" Tayuya commented as she looked at Ino.

"It hurts to breathe you really think I care whether I'm dirty or not" Ino groaned as she rolled over.

"I'm going to go take a shower, come with me" Tayuya said as she opened the door and waited for Ino to react.

Ino grumbled something to herself but pulled herself out of bed. She knew Tayuya wouldn't leave her alone unless she got her way and she didn't feel like fighting with her.

"Just try to keep your hands to yourself." Ino warned as they walked out of the room towards the floor bathrooms.

Tayuya just chuckled to herself as they walked side by side " You should stop being so uptight you know you'll enjoy it".

Ino rolled her eyes, she had become accustom to Tayuya's aggressive bisexuality but she still didn't like it. Most the time she just ignored her but some times that was nearly impossible.

"I like men!" Ino said firmly.

"Me too" Tayuya said with a laugh.

"That's not funny Tayuya" Ino said slightly irritated.

Tayuya suddenly moved in front of Ino and grabbed her shoulders abruptly slamming her back against the wall. Ino wanted to push her back but her whole body was sore and she had nearly deleted her chakra reserves.

She just sighed and relaxed her body as she felt Tayuya's lips press against hers. Ino figured there was no point fighting it seeing how persistent Tayuya was about it. Her eyes shot open as she felt Tayuya's tongue dart into her mouth.

Ino slowly relaxed again as the wet slick muscle danced around her mouth. Tayuya backed away slowly with a victorious look on her face.

"You liked that huh ?" Tayuya teased.

"Don't look too much into it" Ino said as she entered the large group shower room with Tayuya walking right behind her.

"You know that turned you on" Tayuya said confidently as she watched Ino started to undress.

"Would you mind not staring?" Ino asked sarcastically.

"Hmm no" Tayuya said with a smirk.

Ino shook her head as she dropped her last article of clothing and stepped into the warm jets of water. _This may not be where I pictured myself being but at least I'm making progress_ Ino thought to herself happily as she closed her eyes and let the water wash the dirt out of her hair.

* * *

Naruto looked around the small gambling den he had wandered into. It was filled with suspicious looking types, most of which were probably involved in some kind of illegal activity.

Naruto eyed a particularly shady looking man with a scruffy beard and dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a tattered obsidian robe that kept his body mostly covered. He was standing in the corner of the room studying everyone carefully.

Naruto led himself through the crowds of gambling men towards the back and found what he was looking for. He quickly walked over to a table shadowed in dim light and took a seat.

"What took you so long?"

"It'd help if you made the directions more specific" Naruto complained as he rolled his eyes and loosened the cloak he had on.

He looked over the table at the white haired man across from him clothed in a dark green shirt covered with a long red and silver vest. He had on black ninja pants, large wooden clogs and red shaded glasses covering his eyes.

"Ha, ha. And risk having you make it here so easily, now why the hell would I want to do that ?" Jiraiya asked with a smile

"How much time do we have ?" Naruto asked as he picked up one of the cups on the table and downed the entire thing.

"A little over an hour"

"So what is this about ?" Naruto asked as he leaned back.

Jiraiya chuckled as he look at his only pupil. He took a deep breath and adjusted the rose colored sunglasses he was wearing.

"I thought it'd be best if we went over everything now. First off give me whatever new files you found" Jiraiya said as he leaned over the table so his words wouldn't be hear easily.

Naruto leaned forwards as well and slide a rather thick folder across the table to Jiraiya, " This is everything I've found that has anything to do with his plans. It doesn't look like he's planning another attack but I can't be sure. Anyway it contains a new list of hidden bases that I didn't know about".

Jiraiya flipped open the folder and scanned over the first couple of documents, " Hmm very good work. Now that that's taken care of tell me about Yamanaka".

"Her training is coming along nicely, she really does a lot of potential. Tayuya is working with her right now on her Taijutsu and Kin is helping her with her genjutsu detection." Naruto said proudly.

"So would you say recruiting her was a good investment ?" Jiraiya asked with a hint of curiosity.

"This is more than just her joining our team, we're lovers" Naruto said with a cocky smile.

"Oh so you plan on marrying them both ?" Jiraiya asked with a perverted grin.

"Well not just them.." Naruto said with a guilty look on his face.

Jiraiya let out a hearty laugh "Who else have you had your eye on?".

"That doesn't matter right now, she's not ready to join us. I've been visiting her every now and then but it would be best to wait until she's ready. Ino was ready to be on her own but she still needs to make peace with her family." Naruto said as he thought about it.

"How are her fighting skills?" Jiraiya asked.

"She's almost at Jonnin level which is really good, but like I said she still has to overcome her own barriers before she can try to tackle what we're going through. I think the day will come sooner than later but it never hurts to wait it out." Naruto said as he grabbed Jiraiya's drink and started to sip it.

"Do the other two know about her yet ?" Jiraiya asked clearly too eager to learn more about Naruto's love life.

"Ha, ha, I think it's best they don't know, at least not so early. Tayuya gets jealous easily and I'm not sure Ino has really accepted this whole arrangement yet." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.

Jiraiya grinned as he thought about but let his mind wander "That reminds me of something, there's something important we need to discuss." He said suddenly very seriously.

"About what?" Naruto asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I think Orochimaru has an informant in Konoha, I can't be sure of it yet but the clues keep piling up." Jiraiya said as he looked around the room for anyone paying too much attention to them.

"What makes you think that ? What clues have you found?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"A good portion of these files are either exact copies of A to S ranked missions for Konoha or they are based off them. Not only that but one of those files had a list of every ANBU that has unrestricted access to Hokage Tower." Jiraiya said as he opened the folder again.

"None of these files really mean anything by themselves but just knowing Orochimaru has them tells us he's up to something. The medical ones could possibly be because of his failing health and his need to constantly acquire new bodies but some of the other stuff is classified information regarding the Hokage." Jiraiya said grim fully.

"He couldn't be planning another attack though, he's in no condition to fight right now" Naruto said clearly worried.

"Just keep an eye out for anything suspicious from him, you can always reach me through Bunta if things go south." Jiraiya reminded him.

"Should I try to see what I can find lying around in his office?" Naruto asked.

"No, you've taken more than enough as it is. If you keep it up he'll get suspicious and then everything will go to hell. From now on just try to keep cool and focus on your team's training. Shit ! I have to go" Jiraiya said as he abruptly stood up and walked away leaving Naruto at the table by himself.

Naruto purposely waited a good ten minutes after Jiraiya had left before he got up and exited himself. He pulled back up his hood as he left the over crowded building and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Ino looked down at the person rolling around in agony on the floor. She frowned as she noticed the crowd of people slowly surrounding them. It had been a quiet day with still no sign of Naruto but now thanks to Tayuya's explosive temper things wouldn't be quiet for much longer.

"You dumb motherfucker, you better not fucking get any ideas like that again" Tayuya yelled at the guy holding his bloody smashed nose.

"You fucking bitch you broke my damn nose!" He yelled as he tried to stop the bleeding from getting everywhere.

Tayuya moved quickly and kicked him in the side of the head causing him to scream in pain as his neck twisted sharply.

"You fucking piece of shit you better watch who you're talking to like that!" Tayuya said as she started to walk away.

"C'mon Ino let's go before I end up snapping this fucker's neck" Tayuya added as she stormed away pushing through the people that came to see what all the commotion was about.

Ino hurried right behind her taking one last long look at the boy trembling on the floor. Fights broke out fairly often, mostly because there was no real authority besides Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Orochimaru always put someone in charge before leaving but there were still Oto Nins that thought they were free to do whatever they wanted. Usually the ones in charge had several very strong ninjas directly under them to help keep everyone in check but the general rule was power dictated your status.

Since Tayuya had been with Orochimaru for so long and was still a member of the sound five she ranked amongst the top of the nin no matter where they were. However since Ino was new and was just now getting to the level of everyone else she was constantly being targeted.

She had gotten into a few fights early on and managed to hold her own but there was a few occasion where she would have been beaten nearly to death if Tayuya didn't interfere. The guy Tayuya left with a deformed face made the mistake of grabbing Ino's ass in front of her.

Ino looked back at Tayuya who she was following through a thin hallway towards an unknown location. Tayuya refused to tell Ino where they were going but still insisted on her coming along.

"Would you just tell me what we're doing ?" Ino asked impatiently after a few moments of silence.

"We're meeting someone alright" Tayuya said simply as they entered a large room which resembled a library.

Ino looked around at the tables littered with scrolls and some very thick books but her attention was caught by two people standing directly across the room. Tayuya walked straight towards them and Ino followed.

There was a tall male with long white hair clothed in similar attire to Naruto sitting down at an isolated table. He turned to the other man next to him and ushered for him to leave. Ino looked at him more closely as they approached him, his pale green eyes glowed in the dim lighting making him appear very menacing.

"Who is this?" he asked stoically as he eyed Ino.

"She's with Naruto and I, don't worry" Tayuya said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle.

He still glared at Ino but brought his attention back towards Tayuya "Where is Naruto ?".

"He's out on business still but I have something from him for you" Tayuya said as she handed over the bottle to him.

He took the bottle graciously and seemed to almost smile as he looked at it "Give Naruto my thanks, this medicine should last me a few months at the least".

"Don't worry about it, I do have a favor to ask though" Tayuya said as she folded her arms over her chest.

"What is it?"

"We're moving things around right now but the most important thing we have to do is figure out who are enemies are and be ready for a counter attack. I've been trying to keep an eye on Sasuke but he's too secretive for me to get any real info. We're going to need as many allies as possible so try to work on that" Tayuya said.

"Are we expecting trouble ?" He asked only seeming mildly interested.

"Not yet but I have a feeling Sasuke is going to be more of a problem than Naruto is expecting. I think he's forming a team as well and it could be problematic." Tayuya explained.

"It'll be dealt with" He said nonchalantly.

"If you had time it'd be great if you can help Ino work on her Taijutsu since you're much better than I am" Tayuya proposed.

"If that would help Naruto than so be it" He said as she stood up from the table.

"Good! Ino this is Kimmimaro, he'll be in charge of your taijutsu training from now on" Tayuya said sounding very relieved.

Ino looked at him somewhat intimidated " Hello" she said unsure of how to react to him.

He looked at Ino with mild interest yet no real expression on his face "We'll begin tomorrow morning at dawn so be ready and meet me here".

"Okay" Ino said as he suddenly excused himself from the room.

"He's kind of weird isn't he ?" Ino said as she watched him go.

"Yeah I didn't really like him too much until him and Naruto-Sama became friends. They came together by a mutual hatred of Sasuke because apparently Sasuke took Kimmimaro's spot in Orochimaru's list of future bodies" Tayuya said with a laugh.

"He wanted to give his body to Orochimaru?" Ino asked in confusion.

"I guess he wanted a purpose in life and Orochimaru was the only person to give him one but Naruto-Sama has changed that. Somehow he convinced him that our goals are the same so no he works with us" Tayuya informed her.

"Do you really think Sasuke is forming a team too?" Ino asked.

"I've seen him spending a lot of time around a few specific people which is odd. He usually isolates himself but now he's been seen around some of the higher up Oto Nins. There is this one girl named Karin that I think is under his influence now." Tayuya said.

"Who is she I've never heard of her before?" Ino asked.

"She usually operates one of the northern bases but sometimes Orochimaru summons her here. She is one of the few people who are actually loyal to Orochimaru which is sickening within itself. I've also heard she has some kind of unique talents but I've never seen her fight"

"Should we be worried?" Ino asked curiously.

"We'll deal with it when the time comes. For now we just have to have a trump card" Tayuya said as she walked out of the room with Ino right behind her.

"What are we doing now?" Ino asked.

"Why do you ask so many damn questions?" Tayuya said slightly irritated.

"Where are you two going ?"

Ino spun her head around to find Sasuke standing in the large room they were walking through. He was glaring at them with his Sharingan activated studying their every movement.

"None of your fucking business" Tayuya said sounding even more irritated.

"You have been awfully busy lately, what could you possibly be doing wandering off so frequently. More importantly where is Naruto ? I haven't seen him in two days which is very suspicious considering Orochimaru didn't give him orders to leave" He spoke in a calm and accusing voice.

Ino cringed as she looked into his sinister eyes hoping he would just leave them alone. Tayuya now official pissed stormed over towards him until Ino reached out and grabbed her arm restraining her.

"Go ahead, let her go. If she really thinks she can fight me then let her." Sasuke baited still as cool and calm as ever.

"You don't fucking scare me you piece of shit!" Tayuya yelled as she reached for something hidden along her thigh.

"Orochimaru might think you guys are too stupid to be up to anything but I'm not so naïve. From now on I'll be keeping a close eye on you, and don't think I won't kill either of you on the spot if I see something suspicious" Sasuke said as he started to take small steps towards them.

Tayuya whipped out a long shiny silver flute suddenly and brought it to her lips.

"Not so fast !" Sasuke said as he leaped through the air and grabbed the flute from Tayuya's hand ripping it from her hands.

Tayuya reached down and lunged with a kunai aimed at Sasuke's stomach. He pivoted and grabbed Tayuya's wrist twisting it sharply as he slammed his knee into her side before he elbowed her in the back of the head sending her to the ground.

Sasuke took the kunai from Tayuya's hand and poised it at her neck "Make one wrong move and she dies" Sasuke said so he placed the knife against her skin.

Ino froze, she didn't know what to do or if she could even save Tayuya in her time of need. She relaxed her body and put her arms at her side discreetly reaching for a hidden kunai at her waist.

Ino suddenly flicked her wrist sending the knife flying towards Sasuke's face. He quickly released Tayuya using the blade in his hand to deflect the incoming attack. The second he moved the knife Tayuya dived from under him as she reached in her pouch and sent a barrage of shuriken his way.

He threw his kunai at the incoming weapons and leaped at the wall using it as a foothold to propel himself even higher above the cloud of spinning blades.

He landed on one knee and reached for the hilt of his sword.

"Stop!"

Sasuke froze as he felt the cold metal blade of a sword brushed against his neck. He tilted his head to see Naruto standing behind him with his sword in hand. Sasuke let go of his sword but remained calm as usual.

"Put your sword away" He ordered.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Naruto asked in anger.

"That doesn't concern you" Sasuke retorted.

"If you lay a finger on either of them again I will gut you like a fish!" Naruto threatened as he pressed the blade hard against Sasuke's neck.

Naruto suddenly sliced Sasuke's head clean off letting it fall on the floor rolling towards Ino. The body suddenly lost all it's color and melted away into a puddle of mud on the ground along with Sasuke's head.

"When the hell did he make a clone?" Ino asked in surprise.

"After you attacked him" Naruto answered simply as he walked over and helped Tayuya to her feet.

"You're back!!" Tayuya cheered happily as she hugged Naruto.

"Sorry it took so long, Jiraiya had me walking in circles as usual" Naruto said as he hugged her back.

Ino just looked at the puddle of mud in discontent , _Is he really that much stronger than both of us. I've never seen Tayuya defeated so easily, if he's that strong than how powerful are the people he's recruiting._

_I'm still far too weak to be any use to either of them, I need to concentrate and work twice as hard so I can repay Tayuya for every time she's saved me._

"Ino are you okay, you look pale." Naruto said sympathetically.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just didn't think Sasuke would attack us for no reason" Ino admitted.

"Don't worry it won't happen again" Naruto assured her as he walked across the room and picked up Tayuya's flute.

"I think we need to start seriously training again" Tayuya said as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's torso.

"We will don't worry, in a few weeks we'll be meeting up with Jiraiya himself for some intense training but that has to happen during our mission to the Kirigakure." Naruto suggested.

"Of course, I guess the old pervert would be useful for once. What are we suppose to be doing in Kirigakure ?" Tayuya asked.

Naruto smiled " We have a few mob mosses to eliminate".

"Yes!" Tayuya cheered excitedly.

"So Ino, do you think you're ready for a real mission ?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Ino smile back "Of course, I want to see if any of my training paid off".

* * *

**(PRESENT TIME AROUND 2 ½ YEARS LATER)**

Ino moved around uncomfortably in her bed. She had become so use to sleeping in mats that beds actually bothered her now. She tried to roll over but something was pinning her down.

She then became aware of the weight on her chest that was keeping her pinned down. Her eyes opened as she reached for the kunai she kept under her pillow.

"Would you stop fucking moving I'm trying to sleep!"

" Tayuya!!" Ino said with a sigh as she dropped the knife.

"How'd you get in here?" Ino asked in exhaustion.

"Did you really think that lock would keep me out" Tayuya said in a tired tone as she tried to get comfortable on Ino's bare chest.

"Why the hell do you have to sleep on me?" Ino asked slightly irritated as she slowly woke up.

"Because these are softer than pillows" Tayuya answered as she rubbed her face in Ino's breasts. Ino pushed her off as she got out of bed and looked around for a towel.

"Ahrrgg! Where are you going?" Tayuya groaned.

"We're going out remember ?" Ino said as she picked up a spare towel from a pile of clothes in the corner.

"Can't we sleep for a few more hours?" Tayuya asked as she pulled the covers over her head.

"NO! Now come take a shower with me" Ino ordered as she ripped the covers from the bed.

"Fine" Tayuya said sleepily as she sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes.

Tayuya stood up and followed Ino into the bathroom were the two took a quick hot shower before coming out and getting dressed. Tayuya stood in Ino's room watching her dress in her usual outfit.

She wore a very short purple skirt with a slit down the side along with fishnet stockings and a black and purple tank top. She had on fingerless black gloves and black ninja sandals that matched her low cut shirt.

Tayuya had on basically the same thing she wore yesterday but her shirt was more of an off-white color today and it had the Uzumaki clan symbol on the back because Tayuya considered herself to be already married to Naruto. The shirt was the same style as the other one with very long sleeves that almost completely covered her hands.

"Have you seen my bandanna?" Tayuya asked as she rummaged through the piles of clothing around the room.

"Yeah it's over there!" Ino said as she pointed towards under the bed. Tayuya reached over and picked it up before adjusting it carefully on her head.

"C'mon let's go, I want to get everything done so we can bring Naruto-Sama breakfast before he wakes up" Ino said as she put on the very expansive necklace Naruto stole for her.

"I thought you just wanted to go shopping and get Naruto-Sama some ramen?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"Well there's one more place I want to stop by before we do all that" Ino said guiltily.

"Where?" Tayuya asked not liking where this was going.

"C'mon let's just go!" Ino said as she started to leave.

Tayuya groaned but followed her anyway since she was already up. Soon they were walking through the quiet streets of Konoha still rather early in the morning. They managed not to stick too much as the walked around quietly.

Ino looked around happily noting how little Konoha had changed over the years. Most of the buildings she past had been around since she was a kid. She smiled as she lead Tayuya down a familiar path.

"Why is it so quiet around here?" Tayuya asked as she looked around at some of the people they past.

"It's still early and this isn't that busy of a village. This is a peaceful place Tayuya, nothing like what you get at Otokagure" Ino said as she took in the refreshingly crisp air.

Ino stopped walking and turned to Tayuya with a bright smile on her face. Tayuya stopped walking but knew just from the look on Ino's face that she wasn't going to like what was going to happen next.

"Where the fuck are we going?" Tayuya asked impatiently.

"Here!" Ino said proudly as she turned around and looked at the building they were standing in front of.

"Whose house is this?" Tayuya asked as she looked at it with mild interest.

Ino smiled bitterly as she took in the nostalgic sight, "Mine…"

**A/N**: Finally the flashback ends so now things are going to progress a lot faster. I don't remember if I said this earlier but the Naruto and Ino are about eighteen right now(in present time) and Tayuya is 19-20 since she was always older than them in the manga. Hope you guys are liking the story, Thanks for Reading and don't forget to Review. Peace.


	5. Without Me

**A/N**:And so the story continues….

"Speaking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu**

Chapter 5: Without Me

Ino smiled as the thought of seeing her parents again came to mind. The only form of communication she had with them had been letters she sent through Kirio every couple of months. Despite her constant travelling near Konoha, she hadn't stepped foot inside the city since she left.

She had been so busy in the past years that the thought had never even come to her mind to try to visit her parents. At first she thought she had put her old life behind her but there were things that are too hard to forget so easily.

Ino turned around to see Tayuya giving her a disapproving look "We aren't suppose to be here".

"Why not?" Ino questioned defensively as she walked towards the front door.

"We're not supposed to be caught, besides, Naruto-Sama told us to lay low didn't he?" Tayuya said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's my parents Tayuya they aren't going to call the Black Ops on me! Besides, we're just stopping by for a few minutes, it's not like our identities are at risk." Ino retorted as she knocked on the door.

Tayuya grumbled something under her breath but reluctantly walked up to Ino complaining to herself the entire time. There was the sound of footsteps as someone approached the door.

The door opened slowly as the face of a platinum blonde haired woman greeted them with a hint of suspicion.

"Yes?" she said as she looked at the two young adults in front of her. Ino tried not to smile so hard as she waited for her mother's reaction. Suddenly her face lit up a twist of shocking discovery .

She quickly put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from being too loud as she looked into Ino's eyes.

"Ino?" She whispered as she recovered from her surprise.

"Hi mom" Ino said with a bright smile as she stepped forward to hug her mother.

The two embraced in a loving hug completely forgetting everything that has changed over the years. "It's been so long, I thought I'd never see you again" Mrs. Yamanaka admitted as she squeezed Ino tighter.

"Ha ha, it hasn't been that long mom, umm can we come in" Ino asked as they finally parted.

"Oh yes, of course, I'll get us some tea" She said as she quickly ushered them inside the house.

Ino stepped through the familiar settings of her house into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Tayuya walked in cautious eyeing everything she pasted suspicious as she sat down on the couch next to Ino.

She had kept her arms crossed tightly over her chest the entire time and was acting like everything around her was diseased. Ino shot her a disapproving look but just then her mom returned with the tea.

"I still can't believe you're back! How long will you be in town?" She asked as she started to pour the tea.

"Just for today, we're here on business…" Ino answered quietly.

"Oh!" Ino's mom said sounding very disappointed.

"Mom this is my best friend, Tayuya" Ino said switching the subject hoping that she could lighten up the mood.

"It's very nice to meet you Tayuya" Ino's mom said as she put on a welcoming smile.

"Hi…" was the only response from Tayuya as she remained relatively quiet.

"Where is dad?" Ino asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth, he's rarely been home since you left. I think he blames himself for you leaving. I guess he wasn't expecting you to do something so drastic" She said sadly.

"Is everything okay between you two" Ino asked alarmed.

" Yes, everything is fine. He just seems like he's going through some hard times, but don't worry it's nothing serious. I don't know when he'll be back which is a shame because I know he wants to see you" she said with a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry it's been so long, I've just been very busy" Ino said remorsefully.

"All that matters is that you're here now. You've changed so much in the past couple of years. You look so…mature" Ino's mother said as she studied her daughters rather revealing outfit.

Ino smiled as she watched her mother struggle to hold her tongue about the way she dresses.

"How has Konoha been?" Ino asked as she sipped her tea.

"Things have been better, nothing terrible has happened but at the same time I feel like something terrible is in the works. For the most part there has been some small arguments within the council and some people have become displeased with our current Hokage" She explained.

"Why? What has Tsunade done?" Ino asked suddenly extremely interested.

"I'm not sure exactly, I think it's more of just differences of opinion. Your father tells me about it when he comes home from the meetings because apparently the Nara and Akimichi clans don't agree with him so they are in a little argument as well" She said with some sorrow.

"What is the argument about?" Ino asked.

" I wish I knew, we have a very small role in the council and since our role is considered one of the minor clans only one representative is allowed. So your father is the one that always goes along with the head of the Nara and Akimichi clans" She said as she poured herself more tea.

"Has anything strange happened involving the council lately?" Ino asked carefully.

"No, not really but even if something did happen I would be the last to know. All council matters have remained fairly secretive the past couple of years, there are things that even your father refuses to tell me" She admitted.

Ino sat back in her seat thinking things through. The threat of an uprising had never left her mind since Naruto told her about Hirashi. She peeked at Tayuya with her peripheral vision, she seemed rather uninterested with the new information.

Ino turned her attention back to her mother and put on a fake smile so she didn't become alarmed. _Something is definitely wrong, I should try to tell Naruto-Sama soon, he'll know what to do. _

_Konoha could be on the verge of a coup any day now and we're the only ones that can stop it._

* * *

Naruto sighed as he looked around his bedroom. He still had an headache from the previous night but now the Kyuubi had settled down within it's cage. Naruto walked around the room thinking to himself quietly.

Ino and Tayuya had left hours ago so he had the place to himself until they came back. He walked into the kitchen and looked around for something other than alcohol but found nothing. He groaned as he walked back into the living room and jumped on the couch.

_What should I do until I have to meet up with Tsunade? Ino and Tayuya will probably be gone for a while so I can get some work done for once. I should work on finding the others today._

_Jiraiya told me that one of the tailed beasst has been captured already. I really wish all this shit wasn't going on at once. I don't understand why anyone would want to hunt down Jinchuriki but this is really happening._

_This organization, Akatsuki, needs to be destroyed. After everything we've faced because of these stupid demons, it just doesn't end. I should talk to Gaara about it soon, this concerns him just as much as me._

_What we really need to do is come together to save ourselves and put an end to this shit. They hate us because we contain the demons, but because we have these demons they are safe. We bear this huge burden only to be discriminated and hated. _

Naruto gritted his teeth as he thought about it. For the past couple of months he had been working on finding the other containers before Akatsuki did, but it was quite a challenge. Most of them were outcast because of the demons they contained so no one knew where they were.

Jiraiya tried to supply Naruto with more information but it was obvious that this would have to be something Naruto needed to do himself. So far he knew two Jinchuriki were somewhere in Kumo but that wasn't enough.

As of last week one of the containers was captured but Naruto didn't know which one. Gaara was well protected being the Kazekage but the rest of them were isolated and unprepared.

Jiraiya had told Naruto so he would watch his back while they were traveling but for some reason Naruto assumed they would come for him last. Naruto stared at the ceiling as he thought about where he could find possible leads.

Orochimaru's database was pretty much worthless and Jiraiya could only give him so much information at once. Naruto smirked as he thought about sneaking into Hokage tower looking for some clues.

Naruto got up and decided to pay Tsunade a visit. Naruto grinned to himself as he headed towards Hokage Tower, he had snuck into the place so many times by now he considered himself an expert.

He made sure to use a henge to transform himself into what appeared to be the average ANBU guard. Just for kicks he allowed his whisker marks to remain although his face now appeared to be several years older and his hair was a silvery-white.

Within a few moments he found himself creeping around the rooftops of the tower. Naruto knew his disguise wouldn't fool anyone if he got too close so he had to keep himself concealed.

He quietly jumped around the different levels of the building looking for an empty room he could sneak into but to no avail. The Tower seemed fairly busy today and there were guards and workers moving frantically about just about everywhere.

Naruto ran up a wall and found himself on a higher level scanning the area for any rotating guards. He suddenly dived to the right and pressed his back against the small ledge as an ANBU captain ran across the roof.

Luckily, with so many people around hiding his chakra signal wasn't too difficult. Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he spun around the ledge and ran across to the other side of the roof.

He kept his body low to the ground to avoid being spotted as he darted back and forth across the rooftop. Naruto looked to from where he was kneeling into the small garden that was kept on the far side of the tower.

It was a small courtyard that they grew a rather large garden on so that the Hokage had a place to sit and think in stressful times. The garden itself was supposed to be very tranquil but Tsunade rarely ever sat in it.

There was one door that would lead inside the building from the courtyard but it was constantly being guarded. Two ANBU Soldiers were standing perfectly still in front of the only door surveying the area.

Naruto watched them for a few seconds thinking how he should deal with them. He moved back from the edge slightly and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small ball and threw it into the tall grass behind a tree.

On impact it made a loud noise similar to a footstep. One of the guards instantly took off to the left and signaled for his partner to take the right. Naruto grinned as he silently jumped down behind a bush and crept towards the door while the two guards went to investigate the noise.

Naruto waited until they were on the other side and dashed towards the door. He walked around the hallways cautiously listening for any sign of trouble. As he approached the middle of the building he heard some voices around the corner.

He pressed his back against he wall and peeped around the corner quickly to see a group of three guards heading his way, _Oh Shit _! Without thinking he ran through the first door he saw. He looked around what appeared to be a weapon supply room.

As he looked around for something usefull he heard footsteps approaching his position. Naruto quickly turned the light off and got behind the door pressing his back against he wall as hard as he could.

After a few moments the door slowly opened and a guard walked inside the dark room. Naruto quickly closed the door and slammed a needle into his neck in one swift movement.

The guard elbowed Naruto in the stomach but instantly dropped to the floor as the effects of the anesthesia from the needle took affect. Naruto turned on the light and examined the guard.

From the looks of it he was a newly promoted ANBU guard that just began his service in the Tower. _They really need to do a better job selecting guards around here. This is far from what I would call elite. Well at least he can be of some use, those clothes would make a much better disguise than a simple henge._

Naruto stripped the guard down and took his uniform including his raccoon mask and left the room. He walked confidently around with his new uniform because now there was no way he could be discovered.

The guard was too new to be recognized by any of the veteran soldiers and the mask allowed Naruto to keep his face hidden. Naruto continued through the building saluting his superiors and maintaining the appropriate behavior of a guard.

Naruto was slowly but surely making his way towards the more public side of the building but he was still trying to determine were Tsunade would be at a time like this. _It's still early in the afternoon so hopefully she hasn't gone back to the guarded side of the building. She could be either in a meeting, in her public office, in her personal office, or walking around on business_._ Hopefully I run into her soon because I really don't feel like searching this entire place._

Naruto was broken from his thoughts as someone suddenly bumped into him in the middle of the hallway.

"Oops, sorry about that. I must not have been paying attention again." Someone said in a very monotone voice.

Naruto's eyes locked with the man standing next to him. They were both shoulder to shoulder with the man staring back at Naruto with a bored look on his face.

He scratched the back of his head guiltily "I probably shouldn't be reading while on the job anyway. I didn't mean to run into you like that, it was my mistake".

Naruto looked at the man's unkempt silver-white hair and his lone eye, _Of all the people to run into! Ha even after all that time we spent together he still can't recognize me, how ironic. Well after all it must be hard considering all he wanted to do is spend time training Sasuke._

_Too bad his star pupil abandoned him and his stupid teachings the second he got a chance. I'm actually glad you refused to train me you asshole because if you didn't I would have never meet Jiraiya and he's twice the teacher you are!_

Naruto made sure to deepen his voice as much as possible. He had not spoken to Kakashi since before puberty so his voice shouldn't be noticed easily.

"It's quite alright sir, but if you would please excuse me I'm late for an appointment" Naruto said trying to sound like a well trained guard.

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled " No need for formalities, we're all on the same side right? We would both fight and die for Konoha right?"

"Of course!" Naruto said as he thought carefully about Kakashi's choice of words.

Kakashi smiled at his response, "You seem familiar, have we met before ?"

"No, I'm new to the unit. This is my first day actually" Naruto said quickly.

"Oh well congratulations. If I can give you any advice it would be to pick your battles wisely. Sometimes it's better to recognize when you can't win and do what you can to fulfill your duty" Kakashi said emphasizing "fulfill your duty".

Naruto looked back at him in confusion but simply nodded in agreement.

"Good, now stay out of trouble" Kakashi said as he patted him on the back and went on with his day.

Naruto watched him walk away with his head still buried in a book. _Okay, that was weird. I don't know why but I got the feelings there was more to what he was saying then the obvious. Either way it's amazing that out of all the people in this building, I run into Kakashi. _

Naruto shook off the eerie feeling he had and pushed past a crowd of people that were emptying from what looked like the council room. Naruto stopped and stood in the corner hoping Tsunade would walk out with them.

After a few seconds he spotted the blonde leaving the council chambers and heading east. Naruto quickly went after her but managed to keep his pace to a minimum so he didn't attract unwanted attention.

Tsunade walked down a few hallways then went into a room on the right side of a lobby. Naruto walked up the door a few seconds after she had went inside. He looked around the room to see if anyone was watching him, then when he thought it was clear slide inside.

Naruto looked around the room for a few seconds puzzled until he realized he was in the women's bathroom. It was quiet besides the small noise of someone peeing a few stalls down.

_Hmm that must be Tsunade in the stall over there and with her pants down no less! Well since I'm here I might as well get a peek! _

Naruto grinned lecherously as he crept towards the stall. He stood in front of the door nearly giggling as he prepared to open the door abruptly. Suddenly he heard the toilet flush and he dived out of the way in disappointed as he door started to open.

He was now crouching down on the side of the stall as Tsunade washed her hands at the sink. He moved around the corner a little bit so he could see what Tsunade was doing. There was a large mirror in front of her so sneaking behind her would be difficult but if he moved fast enough he could probably make it before she looked up.

Naruto closed his eyes and drew upon the nine tails chakra for a second. All he needed was a miniscule amount to give him the added speed he needed. Within a second he sprung from the side of the stall and now had his hand covering Tsunade's mouth and the other pinning her waist down against the counter.

"Guess who?" Naruto asked playfully as he gently squeezed her ass.

Tsunade let out a frustrated groan but Naruto just laughed as he released her. He was awarded with a slap upside his head the second she was released.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Naruto asked slightly irritated as he pulled down his mask.

"What the hell are you doing in the women's washroom?!" Tsunade demanded.

"We have some business to finish, besides you know you missed me" Naruto said with a cocky grin on his face.

"Do you know how dangerous it is for you to come here in the middle of the day like this? Do you want to get killed?" Tsunade reprimanded angrily.

"Relax, it's not like I was going to get caught anyway." Naruto said as he put his arms around Tsunade.

"Naruto stop it! This is neither the time nor place for this" Tsunade said as she tried to look away.

"Why do push me away so much, I know you want this as much as I do. You don't deserve to be here by all by yourself for the rest of your life. Tsunade you deserve love too, why not just embrace this?" Naruto asked as he pulled her close to him.

"You're too young to understand, you don't know how the world works yet. My chance at happiness has past and I need to accept that. Besides I'm too old for you, haven't you figured that out already? Stop chasing childish ambitions like this and find a girl your own age" Tsunade said remorsefully.

" I did already, in fact I have two girls my own age but that's not enough. I'm not just looking for a woman, I'm looking for people who complete me. You are just as important as anyone else in my life. To tell you the truth you're the one I've been in love with for the longest" Naruto confessed.

Tsunade looked into his eyes to see if there was a trace of dishonesty but she couldn't fine any. She looked away again, "Naruto you're getting those emotions confused. The love and kindness I have always shown you was the kind of a big sister or even a mother, not a lover."

"That doesn't matter though, I know you don't see me as a little brother anymore. You know we should be together, stop lying to yourself" Naruto told her.

"How long has it been? How many years have I been telling you to give up already?" Tsunade asked with an almost bittersweet chuckle.

"Hmm just about four years." Naruto said with a laugh.

"Well when do you think you'll finally get the hint?" Tsunade asked him with a smile.

"Ha ha, you should know the answer to that already. I never give up, no matter what!" Naruto said proudly.

"Even if I did decide I could run away with you I would only bring you more pain. I'm already an old woman and I would die long before you. Then you'd be forced to live with the grief and sorrow for the rest of you're life, I could never put you through that" Tsunade admitted.

"That wouldn't happen, you still have so much life ahead of you" Naruto said.

"Naruto people die and you have to learn to accept that. I know I'm not going to live forever but that's okay because I had a great life and spent it with people I love" She said as she cupped his cheek tenderly.

"We should go, I can't spend all day arguing with you in the ladies washroom." Tsunade said with a laugh as she pushed herself away from Naruto and headed towards the door.

Naruto walked behind her with an unreadable expression on his face. He was use to having this kind of discussion with Tsunade but for some reason he always thought she'd cave in sooner than later.

_Aww, as stubborn as always but I guess I wouldn't love her as much if she was any other way. I guess it's going to take a little more effort but for her it'd be well worth it. I don't think I could ever give up on her, she means too much to me._

"Naruto!" Tsunade said stern fully.

"Huh?" Naruto responded in a daze.

"Put your mask back on" Tsunade said.

"Oh yeah, thanks!" Naruto said with a grin as he put the raccoon mask back on.

Naruto smiled as he watched Tsunade open the door and look in both directions before she signaled for him to follow. He stayed a few feet behind her taking note of the path they were taking.

After a few moments of navigating through the building, Tsunade lead Naruto to a large metal door on a wing of the Tower Naruto had never been before. She pulled out a large ring of keys from her jacket pocket and unlocked the door.

Naruto stepped in the room and Tsunade followed behind him closing the door quickly. She re-locked the door from the inside and replaced the keys in her pocket. Naruto walked around the room and examined his surroundings.

It appeared to be some kind of office but unlike Tsunade's public office it was filled with shelves and there were multiple tables. On each table there were piles of books and papers ranging from maps to blueprints.

"What is this?" Naruto asked as he sat on top of one of the tables.

"One of my research rooms, this is one of the few places that is soundproof and isolated from the rest of the building." Tsunade explained as she leaned against the door.

"Good, well first off I have a favor to ask of you." Naruto started as he pulled off the mask and set it on the table.

"What is it this time?" Tsunade asked fearfully.

"I need help locating the other Jinchuriki. I know two are in cloud but I need to find the others before Akatsuki does, do you have any information I could use?" Naruto asked.

"Just what exactly are you planning?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"I don't know yet but I can't sit back and let people who have suffered like I have die for nothing. I want us to join together and take down Akatsuki once and for all." Naruto said as he thought about it himself.

"Do you really think you can find them before Akatsuki does?" Tsunade asked concerned.

"I don't really have a choice, if we don't band together they will kill us all one by one" Naruto said as he waited for her reaction.

"Yes, but looking after them yourself puts you at risk as well. They will be coming after you too eventually. You should plan something with Jiraiya if you're going to be traveling that much." Tsunade suggested.

"Jiraiya has been very busy lately, I doubt he'd have time to help me. Jiraiya actually told me it would be better to leave them alone and save myself but I won't listen. I need them alive, I don't want to be the last of my kind." Naruto admitted to her.

Tsunade looked at him with sympathy, she had no idea how hard life must have been for him but this was clearly important to him.

"I have some files on it but most countries try to keep that information hidden. Suna might have some additional information so you should check over there as well." Tsunade said as she walked over to one of the shelves.

"I only have information on the four tails and a little on the eight tails, you'll have to figure out the rest." Tsunade said as she handed over a folder filled with papers.

Naruto took the folders graciously and tucked them away "Thanks, this will make things so much easier!"

"Is that all you wanted to discuss?" Tsunade asked suspiciously.

"Well we could always talk about you, how have things been lately?" Naruto asked.

"Things have been fine, you know that." Tsunade said avoiding the subject.

"You know Jiraiya and I are very worried about you. I feel like you are isolated here and that can be a problem if you ever need our help." Naruto said.

"Naruto I'm fine, I can handle things here there's no need to worry. You have much more important things to think about than me." Tsunade said as she walked over to the desk.

"No, I really don't" Naruto said with a cocky smile.

Tsunade rolled her eyes but couldn't help but blush at Naruto's continues flirting. She reached into one of the cabinets of the desk and pulled out two scrolls. Tsunade spread them out on the desk and looked back at Naruto "I believe these are what you wanted"

Naruto pushed himself off the table and walked to Tsunade's desk. He looked at the scrolls happily and scooped them up stashing them away as well.

"Thanks, I know it must have been hard to take these out of the vaults but I wouldn't have asked you for them if I didn't think I needed them." Naruto said as he smiled brightly.

"I know you wouldn't, but it was a great deal of trouble finding them and sneaking them out. It's surprising how much stuff is still restricted, even for me." Tsunade said as she got up.

"Why is anything still restricted for you, you're the damn hokage after all." Naruto said puzzled.

"It's complicated, but to make things simple, tradition still reigns supreme around here. The third was very strict about rules around here, most of the restrictions he applied still haven't been lifted." Tsunade explained.

"Can't you as Hokage override what he has done?" Naruto asked.

"I've tried but it's like going against the religion around here. When the third banned things people assumed he meant for future generations of Hokage as well. The council is one hundred percent behind his rulings so I can't change things." Tsunade said in irritation.

"Don't worry you won't have to deal with them much longer." Naruto said with a smile as he gathered his things.

"Naruto !! Please don't do anything stupid!" Tsunade warned him.

"Ha ha, I'd never dream of it" Naruto said playfully as he closed in on Tsunade.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Tsunade asked.

"No I have to be on my way, besides you should get back to work soon before someone notices you've been missing" Naruto said as he got even closer to her.

She looked up from her seat as Naruto quickly bent over and kissed her hard against the lips. Tsunade kissed him back but was surprised when he pulled away after a few moments.

"I'll never give up on you Tsunade, never." Naruto said as he put his mask back on and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Tsunade watched Naruto disappear with a warm smile on her face "That boy..." She said as she thought about the young Jinchuriki.

"…Jiraiya was right, he very well may be the chosen one".

* * *

Ino walked through the street looking around at all the small shops around her. They had just left her house to go shopping for a little bit and to pick up some ramen for Naruto. It took a lot of talking but she finally managed to leave her house despite her mother's wishes.

After a very long conversation about pretty much everything Ino decided it was time for them to go. She could tell Tayuya was dying to leave and they had other things to do. Even now Tayuya was walking behind her complaining rabidly.

"Stop fucking ignoring me, I know you can fucking hear me!!" Tayuya said in irritation as she walked behind Ino.

Ino continued to ignore her as one store in particular caught her attention.

"God damn it Ino, you better say something right fucking now or else I'm-"

"Would you just calm down already!" Ino said in a harsh voice.

"Well why the hell are you ignoring me?!" Tayuya demanded.

"Because you talk too damn much, that's why." Ino said sarcastically as she deiced to walk towards the store.

"Where are we going now?" Tayuya said still somewhat pissed off.

"We have a ton of money, why not go shopping while we have the chance? Besides we never get the chance to have some time for ourselves." Ino explained.

"Shopping?! For what, like weapons, don't we have enough of those already? Actually now that you've mentioned it I could use some more knives." Tayuya thought out loud.

"NO! Have you already forgotten that we are supposed to be avoiding attention?" Ino asked rhetorically.

"What's so suspicious about picking up a few essential tools?" Tayuya asked defiantly.

"Only ninjas would be buying weapons and if you remember we are not Konoha ninja nor are we dressed like them. If we were seen doing things like that it would draw attention" Ino explained.

"It's not like it matters if we get a few stares, I want new weapons!" Tayuya said sternly.

Ino just groaned as she walked into the store without saying another word, leaving Tayuya in the street by herself. She looked around at the racks of clothing and quickly started picking things up.

Tayuya walked into the dimly lit store a few seconds later and scanned the place for Ino. After a moment of grumbling to herself she found her and approached her rapidly.

"Why the hell did you walk away from me?" Tayuya asked in irritation.

"Are you going to shop with me or not?" Ino asked as she grabbed another item off the rack.

Tayuya looked around with a grimace on her face "What makes you think I want to buy things in a place likes this?"

"What's wrong with this stuff?" Ino asked as she continued to grab just about everything she saw.

Tayuya picked up a small baby blue g-string with two fingers and held it up in the light "This shit looks uncomfortable and I don't do stuff like that".

"Oh yeah I forgot you rarely wear panties as it is" Ino said sarcastically.

"Why the hell do you want any of this shit anyway?" Tayuya asked as she dropped the underwear on the floor.

"It gets Naruto-Sama's attention and I can tell he likes when I wear stuff like this. You can say anything you want but there's a reason Naruto-Sama can't keep his hands off me" Ino boasted with a confident smirk on her face.

"You're full of shit!" Tayuya said in disbelief as she brushed the comment off.

"Ha ha, don't believe me if you want but what do you think Naruto-Sama is doing when he isn't with you?" Ino teased.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Tayuya said slowly getting irritated.

"So are you going to buy some lingerie or not?" Ino asked.

"I don't know, maybe…" Tayuya said as she looked down pensively.

Ino sighed in defeat and continued to walk around the store with Tayuya simply following her. Ino was just about running out of things to buy and surprisingly Tayuya had been quiet for the past ten minutes.

"Ino I think we need to talk..." Tayuya said breaking the silence.

"About what?" Ino asked in shock still very surprised about the seriousness in Tayuya's voice.

"I'm not sure… but I feel like we're kind of drifting apart or something" Tayuya said as she scratched the back of her head.

"What makes you think that? We spend almost all our time together." Ino said confused as the stopped near the back corner of the store.

"Yeah but you've been really distant lately and we haven't been together in a long time" Tayuya said in a quiet voice.

Ino sighed, every now and then Tayuya's insecurities would become crystal clear. The only two people that ever saw a vulnerable Tayuya were Naruto and Ino but very rarely. It was true that they hadn't been physically intimate in a while but Ino had thought nothing about it.

Over the years she had come to terms with Tayuya's advances and even embraced them to a certain extent but her focus was always Naruto. Ino knew Tayuya didn't really get along with many people she so greatly cherished the few bonds she did have.

"Tayuya it's not like that, we've just been really busy and I've been focusing on other things." Ino admitted.

"Why didn't we fuck last night?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"I was really tired Tayuya, it's not like I was trying to avoid you or anything" Ino explained.

"Bullshit!" Tayuya declared.

"Would you feel better if we fooled around later?" Ino asked in a haughty whisper.

"You promise?" Tayuya asked still not believing her.

"Of course" Ino said as she leaned over and kissed Tayuya's cheek quickly.

Tayuya actually smiled for once as Ino went to pay and they started to leave. Ino and Tayuya walked out of the store holding all the bags of clothing Ino had just purchased. Ino smiled as the suns shined brightly on her face.

She started to head the familiar path towards the old ramen shop that she knew Naruto was so fond of. Ino was in a good mood now that she figured out why Tayuya had been so grumpy all day.

She looked at the redhead out of the side of her vision and smiled. Despite the rough times they had together at first she really had grown to love the girl. Ino turned her attention to back to where they were going.

She could make out the small ramen stand coming up on their right. After all these years the little stand looked exactly the same as it always hard.

"Tayuya we're going right here!" Ino said as she pointed towards the booth.

"That shitty looking place right there? We've been walking around this dump all day just for this place?" Tayuya said in disbelief.

"It might be a small place but the owner makes Naruto's favorite food in the world so it's worth it" Ino said as the approached the booth and she pushed aside the curtain.

They walked in and were greeted by the familiar face of Teuchi who was standing behind the counter with a bored look on his face. His face lit up when he saw the two approaching him and he instantly jumped to attention.

"How are you ladies doing today, what can I get for you?" He asked enthusiastically.

Ino thought pensively for a moment, "Umm how about…twenty-five large bowls of the miso pork and another twenty-five of the shrimp and chicken…to go" Ino added.

Teuchi blinked hard at the two of them but once he realized she was serious a bright smile came across his face.

"It's been years since I've had an order like that! This place just hasn't been the same since he left. I miss Naruto, he was the greatest customer I ever had. It's such a tragedy they don't know what happened to him" Teuchi said remorsefully.

"Has business really been that bad?" Ino asked.

"It's not even about the money, that kid was like family to us. My daughter was especially upset when they announced him M.I.A. Maybe you've heard of him, his name was Naruto Uzumaki" Teuchi asked hopefully.

"Uh no sorry, I've never heard that name before" Ino lied.

"Oh, well I'll get to work on your order miss. It might take a little bit so feel free to sit down and relax while you wait" Teuchi said as he went back into the kitchen.

Ino looked around the booth and then noticed that there was someone else in the stand with them. There was a girl of about her age with emerald green eyes and pink hair staring at her in shock.

Ino turned around quickly so that Sakura didn't get a good look at her face. Tayuya looked at her in confusion as she noticed how nervous Ino was.

"What's wrong" Tayuya whispered to her as she sat down on one of the stools.

"Nothing, I don't want this girl to see me." Ino whispered back as she moved so that her back was towards Sakura.

Tayuya looked around Ino to see Sakura sitting across the booth. She looked back at Ino "So what if she sees you? She looks pretty weak, I can take care of her right now if you want?"

"No! We have to get the food and leave without her seeing my face." Ino said.

"Who is she?" Tayuya asked.

"She was on Naruto-Sama's ninja team, she was also one of my best friends before I left." Ino explained.

"Well she's still staring at you so you better do something" Tayuya said as she started to get out the money for the food.

"INO!"

"Oh shit!" Ino said to herself as she pretended not to hear her name being called.

"Ino Yamanaka, is that you?" Sakura asked with a hint of fear as she got up and approached them.

Ino slowly turned around once she realized there was no way out of it now. Sakura was now standing about a foot away from her studying her face with great detail.

"It is you isn't it?" Sakura said in an almost dazed-like state.

"Keep quiet, I don't want anyone else knowing I'm here" Ino whispered harshly.

Sakura looked confused but didn't say anything. Ino looked back at Tayuya who was now paying for the food and grabbed the large bags filled with boxes of ramen. Teuchi thanked them for their business as they left quietly.

Tayuya watched every movement Sakura made waiting for the right moment to pounce on her. Ino could see the venom in her eyes but she was determined to avoid an incident. She took a deep breath as she thought about what to do.

Sakura was staring at her attentively, waiting for her to start explaining what was going on. Tayuya walked up to Ino's side and put down the bags. She kept her eyes glued on Sakura as she reached behind her back and pulled out a long ragged knife.

"Tayuya put that away!" Ino said in a serious tone.

"Listen, we don't have time to try to avoid being caught. Even if she doesn't talk we shouldn't take the risk. I can finish her and dump her body in the forest before anyone knows what happened." Tayuya said as she took a step towards a very scared Sakura.

"Ino what's going on? I won't tell anyone I promise" Sakura pleaded as she took a step backwards.

"Tayuya that's not needed, Naruto-Sama wouldn't want us to start killing people" Ino said in irritation.

"You know where Naruto is!!" Sakura gasped.

Ino slapped her forehead in self disappointment "Shit! Just forget I said that, we have to go!"

"No wait! Please just tell me where Naruto is, I've been searching for him for so long." Sakura begged.

"We shouldn't be talking about this here" Ino said as she grabbed the bags of ramen and started to speed walk down the street.

Tayuya walked after her with Sakura right beside her.

"Why the hell are you following us?" Tayuya asked menacingly.

"Would you guys please help me? You don't have to tell me what you and Ino are doing I just need to find Naruto." Sakura said as she started to walk faster.

"I don't care what the fuck you want, I'm giving you one warning so you better listen." Tayuya said in a stern tone.

Ino ignored them as she turned the corner and walked into an alleyway so that they were at least out of sight. Tayuya walked in after her and Sakura chased after them both.

"I fucking told you to get lost!" Tayuya said angrily as she spotted Sakura behind her.

"Tayuya calm down I'll handle this okay. Sakura I'll talk to you for a minute but I really can't tell you too much right now" Ino said as she thought about what she was going to do.

"Thank you so much" Sakura said happily as she stood eagerly in front of Ino while Tayuya watched her from the entranceway.

Ino took another deep breath, "Naruto has been moving around a lot so I doubt you'll ever find him but he's in Konoha right now. He's leaving before the night is over so don't go out looking for him either".

"How do you know where he is? Are you travelling with him right now? Is that where you've been this entire time?" Sakura asked as she started to put the pieces together.

"Sakura I need you to keep this all to yourself, I really shouldn't have told you anything but I figured you'd find out sooner or later. It's important that you don't get in the way of what is going on here, things are much bigger than us" Ino said stern fully.

"Ino, you don't understand how much this means to me. You of all people should know how hard I've been searching for Naruto. I just want to see him, just one more time. I'm so confused right now, why did you leave? Did he come back for you?" Sakura asked in a sad voice.

"It's complicated but yes I did leave with him. Things are different now Sakura, I have no intention of coming back to Konoha and neither does Naruto. We both have a new life now and although it doesn't seem like it now we're still on your side" Ino said.

Sakura didn't respond, she was no looking down at her feet with a confused look on her face. She looked back up at Ino with her eyes slowly watering.

"Why did he come back for you? Why not me?" She said to herself in a depressed voice.

Ino looked at her puzzled; she had never asked that question herself. Sakura seemed like the obvious choice for who Naruto would come back for. Everyone knew how crazy Naruto was over Sakura but out of everyone in Konoha he came back for Ino.

"I don't know why but I didn't think you would care about it so much?" Ino said in surprise.

"How can you say that? You know how hard this has been for me, not to mention losing you too. I feel like I've lost everyone I was ever close to and I never knew why. Why didn't you tell me before you left Ino?" Sakura asked as she tried to fight back the tears.

"I didn't plan on leaving Sakura, it all happened so quickly that I didn't even think about it. To tell you the truth I didn't think about how my leaving would affect everyone else. I'm sorry for that. You were always a good friend to me." Ino said as she took a step forward and hugged Sakura.

Sakura hugged her back as she thought about everything that she had learned in the past ten minutes.

"I've missed you guys so much things just haven't been the same without you here Ino." Sakura confessed.

"Alright that's enough we have places to go!" Tayuya said loudly interrupting the touching moment.

"I'm sorry Sakura but we have to go" Ino said as she parted with the pink haired girl.

"Please let me come with you I need to see Naruto. I don't think I can keep living like this. I can't stop thinking about him. I will never be able to find peace unless I can talk to him one last time." Sakura said.

"Why do you want to see him so damn badly?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"I just need to speak with him, I have something very important that I've been meaning to tell him for a long time" Sakura said quietly.

Ino studied Sakura's facial expression for a moment. She could see Sakura was hiding something about this but at the same time she knew Sakura wouldn't betray them.

"I would have to speak to Naruto-Sama about this but I'm sure he will want to see you too. I don't even know where he is right now but if you want to come with us I can take you to our meeting place" Ino said with a smile.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Ino?! You can't just decide to show this bitch everything when we've just met her!" Tayuya said in outrage.

"I didn't just meet her. I've known her pretty much my entire life! Besides, Naruto-Sama might want to see her don't you think?" Ino asked.

"Whatever, if he gets mad just remember this was all your idea" Tayuya said bitterly as she glared at Sakura.

"I promise I won't cause any trouble for you guys, I just want to talk to him that's all" Sakura swore.

"It shouldn't be a problem, don't worry but we should get going soon before it gets too dark out" Ino said as she watched the sun setting slowly in the evening sky.

"Thank you so much!" Sakura said again clearly overwhelmed with joy.

Ino smiled at her "You don't need to thank me I'm just helping out an old friend".

* * *

As the sun set bringing darkness to Konoha, Naruto moved silently around the tree he was hiding in. He jumped over the large stone wall next to the tree and landed on the other side on his feet.

He scanned the area carefully as he crouched down low and ran across the grassy fields. Naruto ran up to a medium sized wooden shed and hid behind it pressing his back against it firmly.

It was relatively quiet in the area besides the sound of voices coming from the large mansion in front of him. He pivoted around the corner and took off in an all out sprint towards the house.

Just as he approached the building he heard someone opening one of the sliding doors that led outside near him. A tall man dressed in formal white robes walked out oblivious to Naruto's location. He had very pale eyes and jet black hair that reached his shoulders, but more important was the small green seal on his forehead.

Quickly Naruto jumped as high as he could making it to the roof with minimal noise. He rolled down on side of the angled roof and slid off falling to another side of the house. Naruto spotted a door near him and he decided to go inside the mansion in search of his target.

He crept inside the dimly lit hallway of the compound and surveyed his surroundings. The floors of the mansion were a glossed light colored wood while the walls were thin white barriers that didn't contain sound well.

Naruto sat there for a second trying to make out all the different sounds he was hearing but most of the noise blended together. He headed towards the west wing of the mansion taking his time to avoid everything that could possibly be a threat.

As Naruto progressed through the compound he stopped as he heard a familiar voice speaking from one of the nearby rooms.

"…You all know the responsibility we would over Konoha and at this point it should be obvious what needs to be done. I have it on good authority that a new threat has arisen and we must be ready" The voice said.

Others in the room began to express their worry, "Could it be time already to prepare ourselves for battle? I thought our leader had already taken care of all possible complications? Why haven't we taken action already?" many different voices said.

"There is no need to panic, we always had enemies and we have always prevailed. This is just another obstacle on the road to our goal so you must not become discourage. Our moment of glory is approaching" The voice proclaimed.

_Dammit! This bastard is already up to something and we have no idea what's going to happen next. Jiraiya keeps telling me we have time to deal with this threat but I know better._

_Hirashi is preparing to make his move and Jiraiya still wants to wait it out, what the fuck are we going to do? More importantly what is this threat Hirashi was talking about? Jiraiya has kept his distance so I know they aren't on to him yet but who could it be?_

_Maybe they are talking about Akatsuki, they could be a threat to everyone if they collect all the Bijuus. Well that settles it. We have to meet up with Jiraiya as soon as we leave Konoha. _

_Things are getting put into motion and we're still unprepared. We need to be ready to mobilize on a moments notice and take out the conspirators quickly._

Naruto frowned as he listened to the speech for a few more minutes. He decided it was time to move when he heard many different sets of footsteps approaching the door. He ran through the next three hallways until he reached his destination.

He walked up to a medium sized door and slowly pushed it open. He frowned when he found an empty room.

_Alright where the hell is this girl? Well if she isn't here maybe she's in the garden again_, Naruto thought as he closed the door.

He took the time to look around the small room, he was curious to see what kind of things he could find. Everything seemed rather typical besides the large canvas sitting near the closet.

On it was a halfway-finished painting of what looked like a ninja with long spiky blonde hair standing on a mountain. The ninja's hair was waving in the wind and the moon was shining brightly behind him illuminating his radiant blue eyes. Naruto smiled as he noticed the whisker marks on his cheeks.

Naruto took his eyes of the painting and headed towards the window above the bed. He climbed through it and found himself back outside but this time near the large garden. He walked with a large smile on his face as he noticed a figure standing near the pond.

It was a woman with long jet black hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a formal white robe that made her curves even more tempting. She was kneeling over the pound feeding the ducks that gathered there.

Naruto decided to sneak up to her and hid in the shadow of the large tree near him. He watched her sit on a large stone and stare directly at the moon. Her pale eyes showing pent up desire and longing hope.

She brought her hands up to her heart and sighed deeply as she looked back down at the large pond. Her expression showed her sadness and exhaustion but she stopped herself from sulking and continued to smile bitterly towards the moon's reflection in the water.

Naruto stepped out from under the shadow and walked up to her silently. She was so into her daydream that she continued to stare at the water lost in the reflection. Her eyes suddenly grew wide when she noticed a man with spiky blonde hair reflection in the water.

She looked up to see Naruto smiling back at her with a cocky grin on his face. Her eyes immediately lit up with an indescribable joy as she leaped from the stone and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

She buried her face into his chest as tears flowed down her cheeks "I knew you'd come back for me!" Hinata said nearly choking on her words.

"Of course I would, I would never break a promise to you" Naruto said kindheartedly as he put his arm around her waist.

Hinata pulled back slightly and stared into Naruto's eyes as she smiled brightly "It's been so long since I saw you. I was beginning to think something had happened to you."

"I'm sorry for making you wait but I wanted to do this when the time was right. You weren't ready to leave last time I saw you but now things are different." Naruto said with a smile.

"How can you be so sure?" Hinata asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Hinata, you need to have more confidence than that, remember what I told you last time?" Naruto said as he started to play with her bangs.

She looked back at him with a fierce determination in her eyes "I remember and I know what I have to do. I'm not afraid of my father anymore and I'm ready to take control of my life!"

Naruto smiled proudly at her response "Good, but before we go you have to pass my test".

"What kind of test?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Don't worry it shouldn't be hard. I know you've changed a lot during the years and have really grown both as a person and a shinobi. I just want to see if you have really overcome your inhibitions." Naruto said as he tilted his head to look at her cleavage.

Hinata continued to be perplexed as she thought about what kind of test Naruto was going to give her but she suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the herself being exposed.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked nervously as Naruto slowly parted the top of her robe exposing more and more cleavage.

"You aren't wearing a bra?" Naruto said pleasantly surprised.

Hinata blushed slightly but didn't answer the question. She turned her gaze away as she felt her chest being exposed even more to the cool nights air.

"Take off your clothes" Naruto said as he cupped Hinata's breast through the thin fabric of the robe.

Hinata let out a small squeak as Naruto squeezed her breast but didn't move "Why do I have to take off my clothes?"

"It's kind of difficult to have sex with someone when they are still wearing clothes" Naruto said with laugh as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Hinata froze and she turned even redder as so many different thoughts rushed through her mind. She wanted to yell for joy that Naruto had kissed her on the cheek but the word "sex" kept echoing.

"We are going to have sex?" Hinata repeated timidly.

"Yup" Naruto said with a chuckle as he started to kiss her neck.

Hinata's breathing was suddenly very labored as she stood there in a lifeless daze, "Right here?" she questioned.

"Right here" Naruto repeated as his hand that was around her waist found its way to her butt.

"But we're outside right now and everyone is still awake. My father's bodyguards will still be patrolling around the house. What if someone catches us?" Hinata said worried.

"That's why it's going to be so much fun" Naruto said with a smile as he leaned back and looked at Hinata's face.

"Can't we go back into my room?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata this is the test, we have to be outside where we can be caught otherwise it would be too easy. If you aren't ready I give you more time and come back in a few months" Naruto suggested slyly.

"NO! I don't want to go another minute without you!" Hinata cried out as she hugged Naruto tighter.

"Than what's it going to be?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"I…I want you to make love to me" Hinata said passionately.

"Good, now try to relax." Naruto said as he leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

Hinata pulled back nervously as Naruto moved in, "Naruto!" She said out quickly.

"Yes?" Naruto said as he stopped.

"I love you!" She confessed.

Naruto smiled brightly at her, "I love you too Hinata!".

**A/N:**Hmm lemon next chapter ? Maybe or maybe not, stay tuned to find out!! And yes I know I'm a rat bastard for ending it right there but the suspense is half the fun. After much thought and consideration I've decided to leave the Harem at the original four I mentioned in the first chapter. Other girls will be in the story but they will not be involved with Naruto.

I guess there will be some level of spoilers as well, mostly in character information. I felt like I should make it clear before people start flipping out. Naturally I'm going to use the actual Jinchuriki from the Manga simply because I like them and I think it would be a better choice than a group of OC's. If anyone has any questions or concerns just leave a review and I'll answer it for you.Anyway thanks for Reading and Don't forget to Review! Peace.


	6. Guilty Conscience

**A/N**: And so the Saga continues…

"Speaking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu**

Chapter 6: Guilty Conscience

Ino and Tayuya walked through the alleys of Konoha quickly as they made their way back towards their base. They had left Sakura a few blocks back because Tayuya had repeatedly made her opinion of the rosette known in the short time that they had actually known each other.

After a rather heated discussion Ino decided it was best to let Tayuya get her way and have Sakura wait for them to return with Naruto later. At first Ino and Sakura entered a long discussion about pretty much everything but Tayuya made sure to end it early.

Ino was actually really excited to speak to Sakura again since at one point Sakura was her best friend in the world. It was weird to see how things had changed so rapidly but Ino didn't regret a single decision she had made so far.

"I'm glad you and your little friend back there were so happy to see each other." Tayuya spat out sarcastically.

"Would you give it a rest already?" Ino pleaded.

"I can't fucking believe you right now. Not only did you tell her Naruto-Sama is in the city but you blabbed on about how we're all under orders from Orochimaru. How long do you think it's going to be before the ANBU are on us?" Tayuya continued just as sarcastically as before.

"She's not going to tell anyone so clam down, besides since when do you care about us having to get into a fight?" Ino said as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you feel so compelled to include this girl but you need to snap out of it and realize she is already getting in the way of our plans" Tayuya reminded her.

Ino sighed, "Listen, I know you don't like her already but can you please just give her a chance. I have a really strong feeling that we're going to need her eventually. Trust me I wouldn't do something like this on a whim".

"You say that now but I don't see how anyone as weak as her can be useful." Tayuya said stubbornly.

"There are more things to worry about than just physical strength. She's been under the tutelage of the Hokage and is trained as a medical nin, that's definitely something we are going to need once we separate from Orochimaru." Ino explained.

"Do you really think she's that good?" Tayuya asked unconvinced.

"Tsunade is quite possibly the greatest medical nin the ninja world has ever seen so there's no doubt in my mind that Sakura is skilled. You have to realize that Tsunade's name is in ever medical book you can find even today" Ino said proudly.

"Hmm, well if she was so great why is Naruto-Sama always worrying about her?" Tayuya asked genuinely.

"He cares a lot for Tsunade so he's going to worry regardless or not if she can handle it herself. But I think it's because no one really knows the strength of our enemies." Ino suggested.

"What makes you think we need a medical nin so bad?" Tayuya asked.

"Well, Kabuto is usually the one that has to heal us when we have extensive injuries and if you remember Naruto-Sama asked us to kill him when the fighting starts." Ino said as she thought about it.

"We could easily find some medic nins in Otokagure after we dispatch Orochimaru and his pet." Tayuya said.

"We could, but how easy do you think it's going to be to find someone we can trust? Besides we will probably need a medic during the battle if not then right after. In the worse case scenario we might be all near death when the dust clears so we need to be prepared to heal up and take action" Ino retorted.

"You think you're so smart." Tayuya mumbled under her breath in irritation as she stood corrected.

Ino laughed to herself as she got a glimpse of Tayuya pouting angrily behind her. They were almost to their destination but it was much later than they originally planned to stay out for.

_I hope Naruto-Sama is still around. I know he said he had business with Tsunade today but that shouldn't have taken long. Hopefully we can get this Sakura stuff finished quickly so we can move out tonight on time. _

_I know Tayuya's going to bitch about her to Naruto-Sama but there's no reason he'd listen to her._ Ino thought smugly as the reached the building.

Tayuya was kneeling down besides the building holding open a large hatch and motioning for Ino to hurry up. Ino quickly moved up to her and dived into the vent with Tayuya waiting a few seconds before coming in right behind her.

After the usual passage through the vent Ino found herself in the dimly lit living room of their hidden Konoha base. She crawled out of the vent and stretched out for a second before fixing her hair and walking into the kitchen.

Tayuya came out a few seconds later grumbling about how she hated small spaces and Konoha in general. Ino ignored her as she searched the cupboards for something to snack on since they last thing either of them ate was at her mothers house.

"Naruto-Sama!!" Tayuya yelled as loud as she could so it echoed through the rooms.

Ino gave her an irritated glance but went back to nibbling on the energy bar she found laying around.

"Naruto-Sama!!" Tayuya yelled even loud as if it would summon him before their very eyes.

"He's not here…"Ino said dryly as she played with a kunai that was idly lying in the middle of the kitchen counter.

"Where the fuck is he?!" Tayuya said angrily as she paced around the small room.

"I don't know but it doesn't matter because he'll probably be back soon anyway. Do you still have his ramen? I want to make sure he's surprised when he gets back." Ino asked as she noticed Tayuya wasn't carrying the bags anymore.

"Yeah I have Naruto's food sealed in this scroll." she said as she pulled out and unrolled a large rather plain scroll.

"You know for someone who seems so hell bent on enforcing rules on others you don't seem to follow them yourself." Ino teased.

Tayuya crinkled up her nose at the comment "I can do whatever I want! I made up the rules so I can change them whenever I feel like it. You however didn't so you must address Naruto in the proper form to avoid punishment."

Ino just furrowed her brow "I don't even know why I've been listening to you this entire time".

"Are you challenging me?" Tayuya asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What would you do if I was? What if I started calling him Naruto-kun from now on?" Ino said with a mischievous smirk.

"I'd tie your ass up and teach you a lesson." Tayuya said confidently as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"I don't think you are in any position to tie me up, it's pretty obvious I'm better at close quarters combat than you are." Ino said boldly already knowing what such a comment would cause.

"Like hell you are! Don't forget who handed your ass to you every day for the past two years." Tayuya said as she started to walk towards Ino.

"Ha, but what about all those times you called it quits early because you were 'tired" Ino mocked.

"How 'bout you shut the fuck up?" Tayuya said in annoyance as she blushed a little.

"Well if you really feel confident why don't we settle this now?" Ino said as she got up and walked towards the redhead.

"Ha ha, you really think you can take me? Fine, I guess I'll just have to embarrass you then." Tayuya said as she got up and walked towards Ino.

Ino smiled as she stood three feet away from Tayuya. They were both facing each other and waiting for the other person to make the first move. Fighting had become one of the many bonding activities they frequently indulged in and Ino never got tired of it.

They ended up fighting more often than not simply because it was so easy to provoke Tayuya who was always trying to prove that she was the alpha female at every possible chance.

Ino slowly bent her fingers as she thought about grabbing the kunai at her thigh. _Well at least we have something to do now until Naruto gets back. I wonder what he's up to right now. I know he can't still be with Tsunade but who knows? He was called Konoha's most unpredictable ninja after all._

* * *

Naruto grinned mischievously as Hinata's back was slammed against the soft bark of an old tree. Her face was already flushed and she was panting quietly as she let Naruto dominate her.

He leaned in and attacked her neck tenderly with kisses as he trailed up higher towards her ear. His right hand was at her hip while his left was affectionately playing with her breast.

"Ehmm Naruto." Hinata moaned as her face became more and more flushed as Naruto lowered his head and started to lick at her now exposed breasts.

"Hmmm?" was his only reply as the top half of her robe was discarded and her right nipple made it's way to his mouth.

"I…think..maybe we..should…slow down." Hinata panted while Naruto aggressively sucked on the large mount of flesh that he had been stimulating so diligently.

"Why? Doesn't this feel good?" Naruto asked as he brought his face back level to hers.

"Um..it does, but…"

Naruto quickly cut her off by pressing his lips against hers. He held her body tight as he suddenly felt her become stiff but she instantly relaxed and pressed her body against his even tighter.

Her eyes were slightly open in a dazed state of euphoria as she felt Naruto push his tongue into her mouth. Naruto was pleased to feel Hinata's tongue quickly meet his in a playful flick.

Naruto pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth as he tried to force her to be more aggressive. He dominated her tongue for a while but suddenly she started to fight back. He could feel the warm wet muscles sliding against his own with just as much energy that he was putting in.

Naruto broke the kiss suddenly and gazed into Hinata's eyes yet again, "So what were you saying?" he teased with a grin.

"Nevermind..." Hinata said as she blushed a little at her own behavior.

"Good." Naruto said as he pulled off his own shirt and dropped it in the grass.

His hands immediately found their way back to Hinata's enormous breasts where his fingers expertly teased her hard nipples. Hinata let out many small muffled moans of pleasure as she tried to stop herself form becoming too loud.

Naruto only made things worse as he pinched and rolled the erect pink nubs harder and harder. He wanted Hinata to scream in pleasure despite their location. Naruto moved back in and continued to kiss and lick her neck as his hands squeezed and pressed her breasts together.

He could hear her moaning more and more and it only encouraged him to push her further. He started to nibble at the nape of her neck tenderly with his teeth when he heard her groan in ecstasy.

Naruto smiled as he realized he found a weak point and attacked the spot vigorously as his fingers pulled and pinched her stiff nipples even harder. Hinata was now panting very heavily as she bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from becoming too loud.

"Just let it out." Naruto whispered into her ear as he gave her nipples on last hard pinch causing her to gasp very loudly.

Hinata was so distracted by the sudden push that she didn't notice Naruto completely undressing her. Suddenly she became aware of the drop in temperature as the brisk air made contact with her long slender legs.

She cuddled up to Naruto even tighter now that she was almost completely naked. All that remained on her body were a pair of light blue and white panties. Naruto smirked as his hand moved from her waist to the front of her panties.

"Well what do we have here?" He said as he started to rub Hinata through the thin fabric.

She was moaning as if she was desperate for relief but was still fighting off her orgasm. Naruto continued to rub her as he bent down and flicked his tongue at her nipple some more. The light pink nub was slightly red from all the teasing but now he wanted to consul it between his lips.

He could feel a very warm moisture seeping through the fabric of Hinata's panties and wetting his fingers but he only pressed harder. Quickly Naruto moved his hand up and slide if down the front of Hinata's stomach gliding into her underwear in one smooth motion.

Hinata jumped a little at the sudden intrusion but did nothing to stop Naruto from continuing as his finger modestly explored her lips. Naruto bit down slightly on her nipple before he let go and brought his attention back to her face.

He kissed her passionately as he slid his finger inside her quickly. She suddenly became tense again as the finger probed her slowly but would abruptly dive further inside of her. Naruto could hear Hinata moaning into his mouth as he continued to finger her gently.

Her hands were against his bare chest as Naruto kept her pinned between him and the tree. She was now pushing back rolling and flicking her tongue against Naruto's wildly. Naruto now becoming bolder pushed a second finger into Hinata.

Her soft pink folds were leaking more and more liquid every second as Naruto rubbed her inner walls. Naruto then pulled his hand out and grabbed the waistband of her panties pulling them down in one quick motion.

Hinata broke the kiss and in a moment of assertiveness went for Naruto's belt. She struggled with the orange rope that kept Naruto's dressy Otogakure style ninja pants up. She tugged on the sides and the fell to reveal orange and black boxers.

Hinata tried not to giggle as her confidence remained and she pulled those down too in the height of the moment. That's were her boldness came to an end. Her eyes widened as she got a glimpse of what Naruto's boxers were hiding.

"I..I can't take all of that." Hinata said as she stared at his cock with much intimidation.

"We won't know until we try." Naruto said with a grin as he hooked his arm around Hinata's back.

Suddenly he pushed her forward knocking her off her feet but keeping her tightly pressed against his chest. He laid her down in the soft grass as his hands went down to her thighs and separated her legs.

"Just be still." Naruto whispered lovingly as he rubbed the head of his cock against her velvety light pink lips.

Naruto leaned forward and kissed her tenderly yet again as he pushed his head into her wet folds. He slowly let his weight force him into her as he kept her occupied with his tongue.

Hinata let out a muffled howl as Naruto made one hard push and forced himself deep into her warm wet pussy breaking her hymen. Naruto broke the kiss as he slowly let himself sink a little more into her hot center.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her as he felt her quivering as she struggled to get use to his size. She was panting heavily again and her faced was reddened.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto whispered into her ear as he decided to give her a break.

"I'm fine…please continue" Hinata managed to get out.

Naruto smiled and pushed a little further until he could feel his entire manhood wrapped around Hinata's pussy. Her inner walls were tightening around him and it felt like the heat was growing greater and greater.

"Okay I'm going to move a little." Naruto said as he pulled out a little and then pushed back in.

Hinata's body jolted a little bit but she seemed okay so he continued to pump in and out of her very slowly. Naruto could feel her body heat increasing as he put a little more force in this thrust.

He could hear the sounds of footsteps from across the large field that made up the lawn of the Hyuuga compound but he ignored it. He had finally got into a good steady rhythm and he didn't want to alarm Hinata.

Naruto buried his head in the nook of Hinata's neck as he tried to pace himself. It had been a few days since he had had sex and Hinata's virgin hole was especially tight. He let out a deep groan as he propped himself up with his arms and drilled into her harder.

"Ahhh Naruto Naruto Narutooo." Hinata screamed suddenly as she gripped at Naruto's back with her nails.

Naruto continued to thrust forcefully into her slopping pink folds as he let his instincts take control. He ignored Hinata as she squirmed wildly as her orgasm blurred her senses and she lost herself in delight.

Naruto was trying to remain cool as he pierced Hinata to her very core. His member was being squeezed by her wet hot walls and he was nearing his own release. Hinata was still shaking in pleasure as Naruto continued.

There were now several pairs of footsteps moving outside near them but Naruto was determined to finish. Naruto broke into an almost primal trance as he slammed into Hinata with an almost fury.

Naruto continued his current pace tuning out everything besides Hinata's desperate moans and the naughty sounds of her soaking wet vagina. Naruto moved his hands and grabbed Hinata's thighs as he pulled her legs farther apart and moved them upwards so that her ankles were near her head.

He smiled in satisfaction as he saw how flexible she was and adjusted himself to go as deep into her as possible.

"I'm going to cum againnn!" Hinata yelled out as she threw her head back

Naruto only offered her a smile as he kept his hands on her thighs and pumped into her hard at his new angle. He closed his eyes as he focused on the amazing pleasure he was feeling with every thrust.

He continued to slam his cock into her going as deep as possible as Hinata went crazy in the sensation.

"I'm gonna cum in you alright." Naruto warned her in a weary voice as he rammed his body into hers again.

"It's okay...don't hold back." Hinata moaned out as she struggled to keep from screaming.

Naruto groaned as he felt Hinata squeezing down on him again "Ahhhhh ahhhh I can feel you cumming inside me!!" Hinata screamed.

Naruto pumped a few more times before he lost control and let his throbbing cock empty completely inside Hinata. He twitched slightly as he poured his load deep into her womb while she literally trembled in pleasure.

Naruto relaxed and Hinata adjusted herself so her legs were wrapped around Naruto's waist.

"I love you so much." Hinata said weakly as she started to catch her breath.

Naruto looked into her eyes lovingly and moved in to kiss her but then he was alerted by a noise. He quickly backed away suddenly and dove off behind one of the rosebushes near him.

Hinata in a panic lunged for her discarded robe and covered herself in record breaking speed.

"We heard screaming, what's going on?" Someone asked.

"Uhh nothing, I was just enjoying the full moon." Hinata said nervously as she tied her robe tighter.

The Hyuuga looked at her suspiciously "Why do you look so tired and why are you sweaty?"

"I was practicing a jutsu as well." Hinata added as she got up off the ground and tried to put some distance between her and the bodyguard.

"You shouldn't be sitting out here by yourself so late at night. Your father said you should be focusing on your duties to the family. You have to remember that your actions have to benefit Hyuuga first and yourself second." He told her.

"I understand but now that I've already done my community service and paid homage to the village I'd like to use my Jounin status and take a teaching position. I've told my father that many times." Hinata said defiantly.

"Hhmph, you really have become quite bold haven't you? Your father remembers but as you already know such a position would be ridiculous for someone of your status. It would be an embarrassment to have a royal family member serving as a peon in this village.I hope you know you're lack of ambition is truly disturbing." He said with a sigh.

"It doesn't matter anyway; my father has already made his successor known." Hinata said bitterly.

"You shouldn't hold ill will towards your sister. You had your chance but unfortunately Hanabi shows the leadership qualities that the clan needs to see in a leader." He explained.

There was a brief silence as Hinata didn't say anything.

"I'm going back inside, when you come to your senses you'll be wise to follow." He said.

Naruto watched the whole scene play out from behind the bushes. The man that was talking to Hinata was someone from the branch family. He was fairly tall and had long dark black hair and pale skin. He was wearing formal Hyuuga family robes similar to Hinata but he had the male version.

Naruto grinned as he recognized the stranger as Hinata's cousin Neji. He let out a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was still naked and now he was kneeling behind the bushes trying to scope out the area.

Hinata let herself drop to the ground as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Naruto laughed as he crept out from under the bushes and quickly grabbed his pants.

"That was close." Hinata said to herself in relief.

Naruto smiled as he pulled his pants up "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little shocked that's all." Hinata said with a dreamy daze on her face as the fact that she just lost her virginity to Naruto sunk in.

"Good, now get up we're leaving." Naruto said as he put back on his shirt.

"Huh, where are we going?" Hinata asked confused.

"Otogakure, we're already late so let's hurry." Naruto said as he walked past her already focused on the task at hand.

"Hold on I need to get my stuff." Hinata said as she got up and started to head towards her room.

"We don't have time." Naruto said simply as he continued to walk away.

'But-" Hinata started.

"No buts." Naruto said.

Hinata gave up trying to reason with him and ran towards him before he left her behind. Naruto looked up at the moon attempting to get a grip at how late it was in the night. He looked down as he felt Hinata hook her arm in with his.

"We have a few brief detours before we make it to Otogakure, are you ready?" Naruto asked.

"What kind of detours?" Hinata asked suspiciously.

Naruto Smiled "Ohh, nothing too serious, there are a few people I want to introduce you to."

* * *

Ino rolled around the floor as she battled for dominance with Tayuya. They had been wrestling for about fifteen minutes now and neither of them seemed to be getting closer to gaining the upper hand.

Ino had made the first move by throwing her kunai at Tayuya but Tayuya took it to the next level when she used a fire jutsu in such a small space. Then Ino punched Tayuya hard square in the face and Tayuya kneed her in the gut in retribution.

Somewhere along the lines Tayuya grabbed Ino and since then the fight degraded to a simple wrestling match. Ino was caught pinned down by Tayuya yet again but just like before she elbowed her in the ribs and took advantage of Tayuya's break in concentration.

She pushed Tayuya off of her and then grabbed her by the throat as she sat on top of her this time. Tayuya struggled back as Ino attempted to choke her but she managed to get a good hold on Ino's wrist and twisted it violently.

Ino cried in pain and removed her hands giving Tayuya another opening. Tayuya slammed her palm into Ino's chin sending her backwards and pounced on her as her back hit the ground.

Tayuya was now smiling triumphantly as she sat on top of Ino as Ino ignored her because she was paying too much attention to the blood dripping down from her lips.

"What the fuck Tayuya, you almost broke my wrist!" Ino complained as she cradled the sore joint.

"Ha ha, you know there are no rules in this game so stop whining." Tayuya said happily as she smiled gleefully.

Ino sucked on her bottom lip a little bit to stop the blood from dripping down to her chin.

"Is my lip badly cut? I don't want it to swell up" Ino said as she played with her bruised bottom lip.

"Relax, it's not like it hurts or anything." Tayuya said as she looked at the damage she did without concern.

"Of course it doesn't hurt but Naruto-Sama isn't going to want to kiss me if my lips are all bruised and bloody" Ino said sounding very concerned.

"It's swollen a little bit but I think it looks sexy." Tayuya said with a smirk as she leaned in closer to Ino's face.

"Stop playing around! Tell me if it looks really bad so I can at least go put something on it before he gets back." Ino asked.

"I told you already, it looks really sexy." Tayuya said in a whisper as her face was now about an inch from Ino's.

Ino looked up into her warm brown eyes that stared back into her own with a primal lust. Tayuya slowly moved closer and kissed Ino licking her bottom lip generously. Ino opened her mouth and let her own tongue dart out in Tayuya's mouth as they wrestled yet again.

Their fights usually ended this way but Ino didn't mind since it had been a while since either of them had relieved any stress. She moaned into Tayuya's mouth as she felt Tayuya's hand rubbing her inner thigh.

She remained entranced in the kiss as their tongues slid and collided almost violently. Tayuya broke the kiss but then immediately went back in for more this time catching Ino's bottom lip between her own and sucking on it tenderly.

Ino pulled her lip from between Tayuya's and attacked the girl's mouth sending her tongue in between her lips. Tayuya sucked on Ino's tongue and grazed it gently with her teeth before she let her own wet slick muscle wrap around it.

Ino moaned in delight as she felt Tayuya now rubbing her through her panties. She was slowly becoming more and more aroused and Tayuya had become an expert with her body over the years.

Tayuya broke the kiss and attacked Ino's ear, nibbling and sucking on the lobe as she pulled aside the fabric of Ino's panties and pushed a finger deep inside her. Ino arched her back and let out a soft moan as a second finger was added quickly.

She squirmed a little bit as Tayuya started to pump hard into her wet folds. Ino could feel her body heat rising and moved so that she could start trying to undress Tayuya. Just as she reached for her shirt she heard a door slam shut.

Tayuya instantly got off of her and ran towards the door that lead to the hallway. Ino begrudgingly got up with a frown on her face. She readjusted her skirt and patted down her hair before jumping to her feet to see what was going on.

"You're back!" Tayuya said joyously.

Ino turned the corner to see Tayuya hanging on to Naruto as if her life depended on it. Ino smiled as she leaned against the wall and waited for Tayuya to get off of him before she greeted him herself.

"Ha ha, you're acting like you haven't seen me in ages." Naruto said with a smile as he gave her a big hug.

"Well it feels like I haven't! Remember you spent all of last night locked in your room." Tayuya said hoping to make him feel guilty.

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry but last night was pretty rough on me and I didn't want to make you guys deal with that." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know why you're so concerned, you've only lost control of the Kyuubi once and even then you managed to stop it pretty quickly." Tayuya commented.

"That was a very close call though, if it had control over my body for just a few more seconds you would have died." Naruto said still sounding shaken up by the incident.

"You worry too much." Tayuya taunted as she gave him a kiss.

Ino smiled as she watched the little reunion, it felt good to have Naruto back. They didn't see much of him yesterday because he spent most of the night with Tsunade and then of course he needed seclusion when they returned.

Things only really felt alright when they were together as a team because that's how they had always been. Ino smiled as Naruto walked towards her with Tayuya still hooked to his side "Welcome back." she teased as she leaned in and kissed him passionately.

"Ha ha, would you two give me a break? You make it sound like I've committed some kind of crime." Naruto joked as he wrapped one arm around Ino's waist.

"What took you so long? I thought you were only picking up some scrolls and then we were leaving?" Ino asked suspiciously.

"I did, I just ran into a few minor delays on the way back." Naruto said as he suddenly got a guilty look on his face.

"What did you do?" Ino asked impatiently as he crossed her arms under her chest and waited for him to confess.

Naruto looked at the stern expression on her face and only offered her a fox-like grin that unsurprisingly didn't cause it to disappear.

"What did you do?" Ino repeated as she started to tap her foot now.

"Before you get all angry you should calm down and think what the worst trouble I could possibly cause in such a short time?" Naruto suggested.

Ino sighed as she realized she was probably just overreacting but Naruto had a good habit of causing hell the second he left their sight.

"So what were you doing?" Tayuya asked as she tightened her arms around Naruto's torso.

"Nothing bad, don't let Ino's pessimism rub off on you." Naruto said with a laugh.

"Would you just spit it out already?" Ino said.

"I found another person for our team!" Naruto said with a bright smile.

Tayuya let go of him and stood up eyeing him suspiciously "Another person?"

"Yep, someone that can offer a little more balance." Naruto added as he waited for their reactions.

"Our team is already very balanced why do we need another person?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"Fighting wise yes but in terms of scouting and recon we could use a little work. So far we're really good with combat procedures and scouting limited perimeters but we aren't so good when it comes to large areas or even hunting down people." Naruto said.

"This teammate wouldn't happen to be a girl would it?" Ino asked suspiciously.

"Yeah but what does tha-"

"And you wouldn't have happened to sleep with her did you?" Ino asked in irritation.

"I don't see what difference that makes." Naruto said as he pretended to be offended.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm stuck in this dump horny as hell for two days and you're out giving some random slut dick?!" Tayuya said as her anger started to kick in.

Ino just shook her head as Naruto just offered Tayuya a guilty smile.

"I know I'm sorry, listen I promise I'll make it up to you tonight." Naruto promised as he wrapped his arms around Tayuya even though she was still pouting with her arms under her chest.

"C'mon you know it's not as bad as it sounds." Naruto said as he nuzzled her cheek.

"I don't want to share you with anyone else; splitting you with Ino is hard enough as it is." Tayuya complained.

"I know, I understand it'll be a big sacrifice for the both of you but I promise it's someone you'll like a lot. You didn't believe me before but look how close you and Ino turned out." Naruto pointed out.

Tayuya looked like she was thinking about it and than after a few seconds of silence sighed deeply releasing the bitter scowl that was plastered on her face.

"Fine, I'll give her a shot but if I don't like her right away she can get the fuck out." Tayuya offered.

"Great, that's all I ask, just give her a shot but I promise she's your type. You two will get along a lot better than you and Ino did when you first met!" Naruto said happily as he kissed Tayuya on the cheek.

Naruto looked over at Ino with a pleaded look on his face, "What about you Ino baby?" He said sweetly.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Ino asked still not satisfied.

"I didn't know if she was ever going to be ready to join us but when I saw her today I was surprised. I've been debating recruiting her for a while, even before I decided to scout you out" Naruto said.

This caused Ino to raise an eyebrow "Did you plan us meeting on that day?" she asked surprised that she never questioned him about it earlier.

"No, but I had been watching you before that point. Listen it doesn't matter now anyway, the point is that I didn't originally plan on taking her back with us now but things are moving faster than I thought." Naruto explained.

"What's her name?" Ino said finally giving in.

Naruto smiled brightly, "Why don't you ask her yourself, she's waiting in my room."

Ino frowned, "She's already here!? You planned on bringing her along the whole time didn't you?"

"What? Of course not, but I couldn't leave her waiting outside in the cold." Naruto said with a grin.

"How did you get in?" Tayuya ask know realizing they didn't see either of them enter.

"The roof entrance that leads directly into my room." Naruto answered as they all walked back towards his private quarters.

"How come I didn't know about it?!" Tayuya demanded.

"Because if we told you, you'd never leave Naruto-Sama alone" Ino answered as they reached his room and Naruto opened the door.

Ino stared blankly into the room as he eyes were instantly glued to a girl with long black hair and incredibly pale eyes in sitting on Naruto's bed. She was wearing a formal robe that clearly belonged to a higher up in a royal family.

Her robe was partially opened so a lot of cleavage was showing and her hair was slightly disheveled giving Ino the impression that her and Naruto just recently fooled around. She looked back at them appearing to be just as shocked about their presence as they were hers.

"Hinata?" Ino said still somewhat unsure.

"Is that you Ino?" Hinata asked looking very confused.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you anytime soon. It's good to see a familiar face." Ino said with a welcoming smile.

"I had no clue you were with Naruto, everyone thinks you were killed." Hinata said.

Ino instantly became alerted "Who said I was killed?".

"That's what you're father told everyone, he said you went after Asuma's murderer and were killed." Hinata explained.

"Oh…" was all Ino said as she looked down and tried to figure out why her father would make up such a lie.

She let those bothering thoughts go as she looked over to see Tayuya's reaction to Hinata. Ino shook her head in disapproval as she saw Tayuya's gaze zoned in to Hinata's overabundant cleavage as she licked her lips.

_Can that girl think about anything else other than sex for two whole minutes? Knowing her she's probably going to go with this just because she knows she's stronger than Hinata and can make her do whatever she wants._

_Well I guess that's settled already, I don't really mind that much now since it's someone that has been in love with Naruto-Sama for so long anyway. While we were all being stupid and chasing after Sasuke she had the common sense to see how great Naruto-Sama really was. What kind of person would I be to deny her him now? _

"So can she stay?" Naruto asked like a little kid who brought a lost puppy home.

"I vote yes!" Tayuya said with a devious grin as she raised her hand.

"What about you Ino?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Fine…"Ino said as she raised her hand too.

"Well that's settled than!" Naruto said happily as he let go of Tayuya and motioned for Hinata to get up.

She got up from the bed and walked over to them looking very unsure of what was going on.

"Okay you guys get acquainted and everything, Tayuya, show her around her briefly and tell her what's going on. I'm going to back up some stuff before we go." Naruto said as he headed into the room.

"Wait I have something I want to talk to you about." Ino said as she remembered Sakura.

"Sure, c'mon." Naruto said as he held the door open for Ino to follow and closed it as soon as she entered.

"What's up?" Naruto said as he walked around the room and started to pick up some of the spare clothes that littered the floor.

"I want you to do a favor for me." Ino started.

"Okay, what is it?" Naruto asked causally as he walked back and forth around the room.

"I ran into Sakura today. She's been looking for you, I think she has something important to tell you." Ino said.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks "Why were you talking to Sakura?" He asked stoically.

"She ran into us and recognized me instantly, don't worry she's not going to tell a soul about us. She just wanted to talk to you that's all." Ino explained.

Naruto walked away towards the lone window in the room and stared out of it blankly. A few minutes past as Ino waited for him to say something but he remained quiet, "Well are you going to talk to her?"

"No." Naruto answered sternly.

"Why not?" Ino asked confused.

"I have no reason to." Naruto said coldly as he walked past Ino and grabbed the bag of supplies he was packing.

"Can you at least tell me why?" Ino asked.

"Ino this doesn't concern you…all you need to know is that she's not welcome here!" Naruto spat out in a fury.

Ino stood there paralyzed with shock. Naruto turned his head around and looked at her from his peripheral vision but immediately turned back around. Ino felt her hear drop as she realized that his irises were red.

"Are you okay." Ino said as she ran to his side.

"I'm fine." Naruto said in a deep demonic voice as he covered his face with his palm and took several deep breaths.

"Will you please just tell me what happened between you two?" Ino pleaded.

"Please stop…those are memories I'd rather forget." Naruto said as he finally suppressed the Kyuubi's chakra and walked away to the window again.

Ino opened her mouth to say something but she just closed her mouth again because the words wouldn't come out.

"Can you please give me a minute?" Naruto said in a strain as he pulled at his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry." Ino said simply as she turned around and left quietly.

_Why is he so emotional about this? I thought they were very close but Tayuya was right. Something must have happened that I don't know about but what could have caused him to dislike her so much. _

_I'll have to find a way to get some information out of either him or Tayuya but I doubt she knows either. Well for now I guess I should just focus on getting ready for the long trip back._

_I wonder how Hinata is going to take everything, hopefully better than I did. I'll be here to help her out so it shouldn't be so hard but Tayuya will make things difficult._

Ino closed Naruto's door and walked down the hall into the living room were she just frowned at what she saw.

Hinata was lying on the floor on her stomach with a look of dismay on her face while Tayuya sat on her back as if Hinata herself was her throne.

"Alright bitch let's get some rules out of the way before you start pissing me off. First of all I own you! You will do everything I tell you or you will be punished. Your loyalty now belongs to Naruto-Sama and if you ever cross him even in the slightest way I will kill you."

"You are to listen to him without question and that goes double for me, if I tell you to do something you better not hesitate to comply. Secondly you better not forget to show respect to those higher in rank than you, which includes me since I am Naruto-Sama's favorite and of course Naruto-Sama. You will address him properly at all times or I will hit you, understood?" Tayuya said with all too much pleasure.

"Yes..."Hinata said in a defeated voice as she struggled to get up from under Tayuya.

"Good, it looks like we'll be getting along just fine then." Tayuya said contently.

"Ahhem." Ino said loudly as she cleared her throat.

Tayuya frowned at her but sighed "Oh yeah you have to listen to Ino as well because she outranks you too. But if I tell you something and Ino tells you something you have to listen to what I say over her."

"Can you not be a psycho bitch for once?" Ino asked her sarcastically as she walked past them.

"Don't make me come over there Ino, I'll give that juicy ass of yours a spanking!" Tayuya yelled across the room as she started to get up but decide she wasn't through with Hinata yet and sat back down.

Ino watched Tayuya terrorize Hinata for a few more minutes before she decided to check up on Naruto. She walked back through the living room and walked up to his door. She knocked hard on the door and waited a few seconds expecting a response.

Suddenly the door opened and Naruto stepped out with a pack slung over his back "Alright let's go!" He said now in a better mood.

"Okay I'll go get Hinata and Tayuya." Ino said as she went back to find that Tayuya had finally gotten off Hinata.

"We're leaving let's move." Ino said as she walked past them and looked through one of the many one way windows they installed.

They were moving out in a fairly large group so they had to make sure there was no one around in the immediate area. She looked around not seeing anything of interest but then something made her heart jump.

Someone came wandering around close to the building looking around nervously. Ino groaned at her bad luck as she watched Sakura eye the building suspiciously. Ino turned around and walked back to the group which was ready to leave through the side vent.

"Someone's near the vent entrance." Ino said with a guilty look on her face.

"Really? That's a first, fine I'll go take care of them." Tayuya offered as she headed towards the vent.

"Tayuya remember we can't kill anyone from this village." Naruto reminded her.

"Yeah I know." Tayuya said bitterly as she put down the kunai she was trying to hide from Naruto.

"Tayuya don't go out there, I'll take care of her." Ino said hoping the redhead would let a chance for a potential fight go.

"Why?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"Because…"Ino said as she gave Tayuya a look hoping Naruto wouldn't see.

Tayuya looked confused but got the signal so she nodded "Okay, you deal with the intruder."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the fact that Tayuya had actually turned down a fight, "Wait a second why would anyone be out here this late at night?"

"What do you mean?" Ino said playing dumb.

"We're in the poorest district in Konoha, why would someone come to an old run down public housing building at this time of night unless they were looking for something?" Naruto said as he stopped what he was doing and walked towards them.

_Shit! _Ino thought as she tried to figure out a way to get rid of his suspicion.

"Someone must know we're here, either that or there is something around here we don't know about." Naruto said as he shot Ino a look.

"Do you really think someone knows we're here?" Ino questioned.

"Who is it? A civilian or does it look like a shinobi?" Naruto asked as he walked towards the vent.

Ino got in the way of the vent flap "Master relax, I can handle it." Ino said with a smile.

Naruto just sighed in exhaustion "I don't know what you're hiding but it's really not worth all this effort" he said as he turned around and started to walk away.

Ino let out a breath she didn't know she was holding but then she noticed she heard the sound of something moving from inside the walls. She turned around and looked at the vent cover in terror as the noise came closer and closer.

_God Dammit!_ She thought as the cover moved and a person fell out and landed on the floor with a small thud.

"Ouch." A female voice said as she rubbed her sore thigh.

Ino looked up to see Tayuya who was staring at Sakura with a mixture of surprise and amusement while Hinata looked even more confused now than she was when they just met.

Ino crossed her fingers and turned towards Naruto. He was standing directly in front of Sakura with an unreadable look on his face but she noticed that he was clenching his fist tightly.

Sakura looked up to find herself surrounded. Ino was standing to the left of her while Tayuya and Hinata were to her right and Naruto stood directly in front of her. She gasped as she took in the sight of everyone but quickly stood up.

She had a look of pure excitement on her face as she stared straight at Naruto with a growing gasp on her face as she tried to cover her mouth.

"Naruto! I've been looking for you for so long." She said in an excited relief as she got over her initial shock and took a few steps forward.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto said in a deep emotionless voice as he stared down covering his eyes in the shadow of the room.

"Wait…I came here looking for you." She said confused as she stepped back towards the wall.

"How did you find this place?" Naruto asked with a noticeable growl trailing his words.

"I followed Ino here." Sakura admitted shamefully.

There was a brief silence as Naruto didn't reply. Everyone stood frozen in place with the only sound in the room being Naruto's feral breathing.

"Listen I'm sorry I snuck in here and followed Ino but I had to find you. I've been desperately trying to find you all this time and I couldn't let my chance to talk to you pass me by." Sakura explained.

"Leave." Naruto said in an almost whisper.

"What?" Sakura said appearing genuinely confused.

Suddenly Naruto's blasted off from the spot he was standing with such incredible speed that the floor under him was torn apart. Ino only saw a weak blur as a huge gush of wind blew her bang aside.

Naruto slammed his fist into the wall with his punch only missing Sakura's head by a few inches. The entire wall exploded as if it was sucked out from the force alone of the blow. The shockwave of bricks were ripped from the entire wall and were sent flying in the smoke outwards into the city.

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!' Naruto screamed in a demonic voice as he stared Sakura in the face with his burning red eyes.

Ino stood there breathless as she felt the familiar sting of the air when the Kyuubi's demonic chakra started leaking from Naruto. She knew if things progressed like this Naruto would lose control and then they'd really be in trouble.

Sakura stood there wide eyed in a state of absolute fear. Naruto's fist was still in the same spot despite the lack of the wall. He was glaring at her with enough pure rage to justify killing her on the spot while he bared his sharp teeth at her.

No one moved as the nights cold air blew into the room. Ino finally gained the strength to move her head and look at the wreckage. There was literally nothing left, at this point they were visible from most of the town.

"Master we should leave, all that noise will bring people here to investigate soon." Ino suggested hoping Naruto could gain control.

Naruto finally moved and walked away from Sakura who appeared to have pissed herself by his display of power. She tried to move but tripped and remained on the floor still staring at Naruto as if expecting him to strike her.

Ino could see the every expanding seal markings that now were now even on Naruto's face. His eyes were still red and the slits that were his pupils were somewhat oval shaped which meant Naruto still had control but if things continued that would be a different story.

He walked past Ino without looking at her and stood at the edge of the room looking out into the night.

"Don't ever fucking come around me again or I swear I will fucking kill you for it." Naruto barked out as his voice slowly turned back to normal.

"You don't mean that." Sakura said quickly.

Naruto glared at her with a look that said otherwise but she didn't falter "I know you don't mean that Naruto, you're not like that at all." Sakura boldly declared as tears formed in her eyes.

Naruto stomped towards her and reached down grabbing her by the neck. He lifted her up with his hand tight around her throat until they were eye level. Sakura clawed at his hand as she struggled to breathe but his grip was too tight.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME SO STOP FUCKING PRETENDING!" Naruto yelled

He released her and she fell to the floor with a thud as she coughed desperately trying to fill her lungs with air.

"We're leaving!" Naruto barked out towards the group behind him.

Without another word he jumped into the night taking off full speed towards the forest that would lead them out of Konoha. Tayuya and Hinata immediately went after him taking to the air as they jumped with roof to roof until they dived into the forest.

Ino stood there and looked down at Sakura who was just sitting in place. Her eyes were red and tears were streaming down her cheeks as she sat there quietly thinking to herself. She looked up at Ino with eyes that showed nothing but pain but then she quickly looked down into her own lap.

"I'm sorry." Ino said not knowing what else to say.

Sakura remained quiet as she tried to hide her tears but they only fell faster. Ino turned around and walked to the edge of the room. The moon was shining bright on her and she could see people in the distance coming to her location.

"Don't chase after him anymore, I don't want to see you hurt." Ino said before she jumped out of the remains of the building.

She landed on a neighboring rooftop and took off at full speed. She concentrated on sending all her chakra into her legs and then jumped even higher. Ino soared through the air and landed running a few hundred feet away.

Ino looked back as she was about to enter the forest after them. She could see what looked like ANBU soldiers circling the area. One of them was approaching Sakura but she remained on the floor curled up.

Ino turned her attention back in front of her as she disappeared in the forest. _I'm sorry Sakura, but at least I tried._

**A/N**: We're finally out of Konoha ! Next chapter will be more Otogakure, you'll see the difference since Ino first arrived from now in present time. Also as a side note there are editor notes now courtesy of my beta. Anyway Thanks for reading and don't forget to Review, I'm shooting for about six hundred ( a bit ambitious but why not aim high) so don't be a stranger. PEACE.

**E/N**: Do you know how hard it is to edit a lemon? It's hard, very hard.


	7. If I Had

**A/N**: Just to warn everyone I misjudged the how long I was going to take in certain parts of this chapter so we won't make it to Oto just yet, for the sake of the flow of the chapters I ended it just a little bit before that. Anyway thanks to all the people that left their first review last chapter, it's always good to get new feedback and hear someone else's opinion every now and then. There are some more important matter's I'd like to talk about but I'll save those for the ending notes so, On with the story.

"Speaking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu**

Chapter 7: If I Had...

Sakura sat pensively on the ground of the ruined apartment as she watched Ino leave. As Ino made it to the forest she looked back at her before diving into the darkness. Then an oddly placed bird that was hiding on the roof above Sakura screeched and flew off in the same direction that Ino disappeared in.

Sakura watched the bird with mild interest as it soared over the city and into the forest. Ravens usually didn't nest near Konoha but Sakura thought nothing of it. She sighed as she heard footsteps closing in on her from the rooftops.

Within three seconds someone landed in the room next to here. It was an Anbu guard that was wearing a black cloak over his body but his mask made his status known instantly. He looked around before he took a few steps towards Sakura.

"I know it's probably nothing but some people said they saw fighting over here, are you alright?" He asked as he crouched down beside her.

"Yes I'm fine thank you. No there was no fighting here, I come here sometimes when I'm having a bad day and I accidently punched the wall harder than I meant to." Sakura lied.

The guard looked at her for a few seconds suspiciously but then he recognized her pink hair "You're the apprentice of the Hokage right?" He asked.

"Yes I'm currently her student" Sakura answered emotionlessly.

"Well that explains it" He said to himself as he stood back up and walked away towards the edge of the room.

"Sorry to bother you then, if you'd please watch your strength next time though. Some of the civilians were alarmed by the noise." He said before he jumped off.

Sakura watched him go with the same depressed look on her face that she had for the past fifteen minutes. She finally got up and walked around the room looking for anything of interest.

She had no real idea what she expected to find but she wasn't ready to go home yet and face the facts that she had lost her only chance at finding Naruto. She walked around slowly opening every door and cabinet she could find but everything was fairly empty.

She wandered into a large bedroom were she assumed Naruto slept. Besides the bed and a small desk there was nothing worth looking at. The closet was empty and the desk had been recently cleaned out as well.

Sakura sighed in defeat as she let her body fall onto the large bed. She stared up at the ceiling contemplating Naruto's words carefully. She felt herself on the verge of tears again but she closed her eyes tightly hoping they wouldn't come.

She crawled up to the pillows and buried her face in them. She could smell the faint scent of Naruto and it jogged her fondest memories of the blonde. She rolled back over thinking quietly to herself about everything that had just happened in the past hour.

She smiled bitterly as a lone tear fell from her cheek and hit the pillow, "I'm going to find you Naruto no matter what."

* * *

Ino was sprinting at full speed hoping she could catch up to the group. She was high in the canopy of the trees gliding from branch to branch at impressive speeds. She could hear them in the far distance and would find broken branches or cut marks in the trees from Tayuya.

She frowned as she pushed herself even harder. She knew they wouldn't leave her behind but she didn't understand why Naruto had snapped like that. Ino looked around for the next marker but it seems like Tayuya didn't leave her another one.

She groaned as she stopped for a second and scanned the forest for one. That's when she noticed a kunai that was stuck in a tree a few hundred yards in front of her. She immediately took off in that direction and grabbed the kunai as she passed it.

There was a small note attacked to a piece of string on the end of it that she noticed as she got closer to it. The note read: _Go to checkpoint B, we're waiting for you there._

Ino ripped the note off the kunai and stuck it in her pocket as she started to head to the familiar location. They had designated points when they travelled to Konoha or Suna so these locations were burned into her memory by now.

She keep pacing herself because she knew how impatient Naruto could get when he was in a foul mood and considering what just happened she didn't want to make matters worse.

Ino continued to travel in silence for the next twenty minutes as she rushed herself to make it there soon. She could sometimes catch a glimpse of Kirio above her but even he was having a hard time keeping up.

She sighed in relief as she spotted a fire in a clearing up ahead. She jumped down from the canopy of the trees and jumped into an all out sprint yet again. The noise of people talking got closer and closer until she ran through a bush and found Tayuya and Hinata sitting at an open fire.

Ino hunched over and rested her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Hinata appeared shocked at her random appearance but didn't say anything. Tayuya smiled at her but then got back to ranting on about something to Hinata who listened diligently.

"Where's Naruto-Sama?" Ino asked between pants.

"He's by the cave." Tayuya answered as she threw some more wood into the fire.

Ino stood back up straight and walked past them towards the small mountain near their location.

"He's still in a bad mood." Tayuya called out as Ino got a distance away.

Ino sighed "Great." she said sarcastically as she walked by herself to the large stone cave near a small cliff.

She could see a faint light coming from the back of the cave so she went inside hoping that Naruto would feel like talking now. She continued towards the back of the cave noticing how much harder it became to breathe as she neared the end.

She stopped walking as she found Naruto sitting on the ground with his back towards her near a small fire talking to a toad about the size of a large dog. They were chatting about something quietly then Naruto nodded and the toad disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto took a deep breath "What is it Ino?" he asked without turning around.

"Are you mad at me?" Ino asked as she walked towards him.

"No, I'm not mad at you, what happened back there wasn't your fault." Naruto said calmly as he stared into the fire.

Ino walked around him and sat on the opposite end of the flames so she could see his face.

"I still want to apologize, I don't know why I acted so carelessly, I guess I just got caught up in the moment. I saw Sakura and I remembered how badly she was searching for you after you disappeared and I thought I could bring all of us together again." Ino confessed as she studied Naruto's face watching carefully for his reaction.

"What's done is done." Naruto said stoically as he remained still.

"I know you're still upset but I want you to know that I won't jeopardize our plans again. I have faith that Sakura won't tell a soul but I realize what position that puts you in." Ino said regretfully as she desperately hoped Naruto would look her in the eyes.

"Just forget that ever happened." Naruto commented as he continued to stay entranced by the dancing flames.

"Do you think the seal is getting weak again?" Ino asked as she played with her hair nervously.

"It probably is, I don't even know what to say after what happened back there. Usually I can feel the Kyuubi's chakra and hold it back but out there it happened so quickly. I didn't mean to scare you guys." Naruto apologized as he continued to look down into the fire.

"You know Tayuya and I aren't scared of you, you shouldn't think we can't handle it. You don't need to isolate yourself every time you have a lapse in control." Ino said sympathetically.

"That's just the thing though, I don't know if I'm losing control or if we are becoming one. It's not like I lost control of my body, I was in control the entire time, I just couldn't think straight though. I let my anger get the best of me and things could have been a lot worse if the tails started forming." Naruto explained.

"But don't you have control up until the fourth tail?" Ino asked.

"I do but that doesn't mean its safe. The Kyuubi's chakra gives me an explosive boost in power and most of the time I can't focus it properly so I end up destroying everything around me. To tell you the truth I almost started to form chakra tails back there." Naruto said as he finally looked into Ino's eyes.

"Are you sure? The demonic chakra wasn't even visible yet." Ino reminded him.

"Yeah I know but you have no clue how fast I can go into full transformation. I already felt the Kyuubi speaking in the back of my mind. It kept telling me things I didn't need to hear, reminding me of bitter memories and making me hate her all the more."

"After a certain point it can simply force control over my body and that would have been awful. The last thing I want to do is use the Kyuubi's power inside of Konoha, that would be catastrophic." Naruto said as he dazed off again.

"Do you really hate Sakura as much as you said you did back there?" Ino asked.

Naruto looked back up at her with a fierce expression on his face then he relaxed and looked back into the crackling flames.

"Why does it matter?" He asked in an almost dead tone.

"I don't know, I've rarely seen you like that, it just really surprised me." Ino said as she turned away.

There was a long silence as neither of them said anything. Ino looked up at Naruto and could see he was thinking about something but she didn't ask what. She could tell he was under a lot of stress and she didn't want to make things worse.

"We're going to see Jiraiya tomorrow." Naruto said randomly.

This caught Ino's attention "Tomorrow?! Why? I thought we had to make it back soon."

"I wasn't planning on making any stops but I just got word from him and now seems like the best time to speak with him." Naruto said as he stood up.

"Where is he now?" Ino asked as she got up as well.

"He's on the boarder of tea country right now. We're going to be meeting up with him in the morning." Naruto explained as he started to walk out of the cave with Ino right behind him.

"There's no way we can make it to the boarder of Tea country from here by the morning." Ino thought out loud.

"I know, we aren't setting camp here we were just taking a break and regrouping. I want to travel with no stops all the way there." Naruto explained as he stood up and started to leave.

"So I guess we aren't taking Bunta?" Ino asked with a frown as she jumped to her feet to follow him.

"No he's too big and we need to stay fairly out of sight. We're going to ride Gamakichi while you guys sleep and then go the rest of the way by foot in the morning." Naruto explained as the rejoined Tayuya and Hinata outside.

"What's going on?" Tayuya asked as she turned around to hear what Naruto and Ino were talking about.

"We're leaving for Tea Country to meet up with Jiraiya before going back. Get ready because we're traveling all night" Naruto said as he quickly preformed a summoning jutsu.

An orange toad with black markings on him appeared in a cloud a smoke. Gamakichi stood about the size of a small house now.

"Why can't he meet us somewhere? Why the hell do we have to go all the way to Tea Country?" Tayuya complained.

"It's not that far out of the way and I need to speak with him." Naruto answered as he jumped on Gamakichi's back.

"Hey what's going on?" Gamakichi asked confused

"We're heading to Tea Country." Naruto informed him.

Gamakichi frowned, "Why don't you ever summon me for the good stuff?"

"I will next time but for now we need a ride." Naruto said as he sat on his head.

Ino had already joined Naruto and Tayuya was coming but Hinata was staring at the large toad in confusion.

"We're supposed to ride that?" Hinata said as she pointed an unsure finger towards Gamakichi.

"Yeah now get your ass on before we leave you." Tayuya said as she got behind Naruto.

Hinata ran and jumped onboard and clung to Tayuya hoping she wouldn't fall. Tayuya groaned but didn't push her away as Gamakichi jumped and the bumpy ride began.

* * *

Naruto stared off into the distance as they traveled. Gamakichi had found a smooth rhythm and was now jumping rapidly in steady hops through the forest. They were moving so fast it felt like they were gliding instead of jumping.

Naruto smiled as the wind blew his hair back and he could see the sky slowly becoming brighter. They had been traveling all night without interruptions and now it was coming closer and closer to sunrise.

Naruto hadn't bothered to sleep the entire time because his mind was occupied with other things. Worries about his eroding seals had been driving him crazy for the past couple of weeks and now the thoughts of what he left behind in Konoha were bothering him.

_I honestly don't know how much time I have left before everything comes crashing down but I feel like it's going to be sooner than later. Things have been slowly growing out of my control and I need to get a grasp on things._

_There's so much I want to accomplish but I feel like time is passing me by. And now we've been seen by Sakura. The last thing I need is her telling people about us. We can't go back to Konoha for a while now because of this._

_It'd be smart to wait for things to settle down, maybe I can get in touch with Tsunade and ask her if anyone is suspicious. _

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts as he felt himself slipping off of Gamakichi's head. He applied more chakra into his palms and feet so he could sit securely. He sighed as he looked around at their surroundings.

They were still deep in the forest but Naruto knew they would be nearing the boarder in a few hours. He had made this trip a few times himself and he remembered the surrounding landscape.

He looked back at Ino, Hinata, and Tayuya. They had been sleeping right behind him the entire time. Tayuya and Ino were use to sleeping sitting up but Hinata wasn't so Tayuya had to hold her to make sure she didn't fall off.

Naruto chuckled to himself as watched the three women sleep peacefully on such a high speed ride. As he was watching them Ino twitched slightly and then tried to readjust herself but she couldn't seem to find a good spot.

She opened her eyes sleepily and her gaze met Naruto's. She smiled at him and pushed herself up a little bit crawling over towards him.

"How far are we?" She asked in a half awake tone.

"We should be there in a few hours." Naruto answered as he turned his attention to the horizon.

Ino yawned as she stretched her arms and moved closer to Naruto "I can't wait to get there, I hate sleeping on your summons."

Naruto laughed and turned to face her. She was smiling brightly at him but she still looked very tired. It was somewhat cold since it was so early in the morning and Ino was holding herself in an attempt to keep warm.

Naruto moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. Ino let out a satisfied breath as she rested her head against Naruto's chest.

"We haven't spent any time alone in a while." Ino thought out loud.

"I know, things have been so hectic lately but don't worry once we get back we'll have some time to ourselves" Naruto assured her.

"I hope so" Ino said as she nestle her face into Naruto's neck.

"We'll have some time to relax when we meet Jiraiya, he always has us meet in a fairly public place." Naruto told her.

"I want you so bad right now." Ino whispered as she moved and started to lay kisses all over Naruto's cheek.

Naruto smiled "You really want to do it here?"

"Why not?" Ino whispered as she cupped his cheek and started to playfully bite his ear.

"Ha ha, I don't think Gamakichi would like that very much." Naruto whispered back as he kissed her.

Ino frowned "Yeah I guess you're right."

"It's been a rough two days though huh?" Naruto said as he enjoyed the scenery.

"Yeah but it's been fun. Oh did I tell you I saw my mom yesterday?" Ino asked happily.

"No, we didn't really get a chance to talk last night but tell me about it now." Naruto said actually very interested.

"I took Tayuya with me and we went to visit her briefly. Everything's been fine with my parents but she told me that the council has been arguing with Tsunade for a while now." Ino told him.

Naruto looked down at her in shock "What exactly is going on?"

"I'm not really sure, it has something to do with the clan heads disagreeing on something and the chief advisors aren't backing up Tsunade. I was told that there has been a lot of hostility between the two groups." Ino explained.

"That's weird, Tsunade didn't mention anything to me when I spoke her to." Naruto thought out loud.

"It may not even be serious, she probably didn't want to worry you over nothing." Ino suggested.

"We shouldn't be taking chances though." Naruto said still sounding distraught.

"What could we really do about it?" Ino asked.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth that's what has been really bothering me. We still don't know everyone that is connected to the conspirators and it's not getting better. I don't think we can afford to wait until we have them all pin pointed." Naruto said pensively.

"I know how you must feel about this but I think Jiraiya is right. We can't start a battle without really knowing who the enemy is." Ino put in.

"Hiashi is up to something, I overheard him talking to his men. I didn't really understand what they were talking about but there could be a third party that is interfering as well." Naruto informed her.

"Who else could possibly know about them though?" Ino asked confused.

"That's something I'm going to have to ask Jiraiya about when we see him." Naruto said.

"Hey Naruto how much longer do you need me to carry you guys?" Gamachiki asked in exhaustion.

"Not much farther, just give us another half hour and we'll travel the rest on foot." Naruto said as he continued to cuddle with Ino.

"Do you think Jiraiya will be able to repair the seal again?" Ino asked after a few seconds.

"I don't know it's hard to say. Most the time he has to draw more layers to it altogether but it hasn't been helping. That's why I've been keeping to myself lately, I think my time is actually coming." Naruto said with a bittersweet smile.

He bent over in pain as Ino elbowed him in the gut as hard as she could "Don't ever say that ever AGAIN!"

Naruto smiled as he looked at the angry scowl on her face.

"You never give up remember! So don't give up on us, I'll never forgive you if you leave us!" Ino said in a huff of rage.

Naruto smiled warmly as he looked down at Ino "I know, I should have known better but things have just been rough this week. It's like I've been slowly losing this battle with the Kyuubi since birth and now I feel like something has to give." Naruto said remorsefully

"But it doesn't have to be you! You're the one that has led us this far you can't give up now. We can't go on without you and you know it. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be half the Kuniochi I am now and I know that goes for Tayuya too." Ino said boldly.

Naruto sat there completely speechless. He knew Ino loved him but to hear her speak so passionately about him was moving.

"I love you with all my heart, so don't you dare break it." Ino said as she cuddled closer to Naruto.

Naruto still couldn't find the words to say to such a beautiful declaration so he simply held her close. He smiled as he felt the warm rays of the morning sun shining on them. It was finally dawn and the horizon was an intense orange-red making the clouds appear a light tangerine color.

"Do you think we'll be able to live peaceful lives soon?" Ino asked dreamily.

"One day I promise we will. I'll give you guys the life you really deserve but until than we have to keep fighting so we can make that dream a reality." Naruto said as he scooped Ino into his arms and stood up.

Ino looked up at Naruto pouting her lips as hard as she could but Naruto only laughed at her antics. He bent his head down and kissed her before putting her down so that she was standing beside him.

"We should wake them up soon." Naruto suggest as he wrapped his arms around Ino and stood behind her.

"Hmm, I think we can let them sleep for a little longer." She said with a laugh as Naruto kissed her neck tenderly.

"I think we've worked Gamakichi hard enough for one day." Naruto mused as he left a trail of kisses on her neck.

"Alright.." Ino said in disappointment as she felt Naruto's hand move around to her ass.

"If it makes you feel better I arranged for a little surprise for you guys." Naruto told her with a grin.

"A surprise?! What is it?" Ino asked suddenly very excited as she spun around and pressed her body against Naruto.

"We're not just going to be sitting in a bar like usual when we see Jiraiya. He's been staying at a resort for the past couple of days while he's been gathering information in Tea Country." Naruto said with a smile.

"Are you serious?" Ino asked with a huge smile on her face.

"Ha ha, of course, but don't tell Tayuya and Hinata I want them to be surprised." Naruto said.

"Okay, I wont, I don't think we've been in anything besides cheap Inns in the past two years, I'm so excited!" Ino cheered as she had to stop herself from talking too loud.

"Okay go wake the other two up we have to start heading out now." Naruto said as he finally let go of her.

"Alright." Ino said happily as she walked towards Tayuya and Hinata who were cuddling up in their sleep because of the temperature.

Ino bent over and shook Tayuya roughly. She threw a wild punch in her sleep and tried to fight it but Ino only shook her harder.

"What?!" Tayuya barked out in a sleepy rage.

"We're going the rest of the way on foot." Ino informed her.

Tayuya growled but rubber her eyes sleepily "What time is it?"

"It's around dawn." Ino informed her as she turned her attention back to Naruto.

"Why can't we ride Kichi all the way there?" Tayuya complained.

"C'mon and get up before Naruto-Sama sends Gamakichi home" Ino said as she walked away and stood next to Naruto.

"Alright Gamakichi this is far enough, thanks again for the ride." Naruto said to the monstrous toad.

"No problem blondie." Gamakichi said before disappearing in a large cloud of smoke.

Naruto smiled as he felt the toad vanish beneath his feet and suddenly felt himself free falling. He could see Ino to the side of him fall before gaining control and grabbing a nearby branch.

Naruto leaned forward as he fell and twisted his body to adjust his positioning. He kicked a tree to propel himself forward with enough force to maintain his momentum. Naruto launched forward and quickly used a thick branch as a foothold to start sprinting through the canopy.

He could hear the cracking of branches behind him meaning Ino had followed his lead by he wasn't so sure about the others. Not more than a fraction of a second later he heard screaming that became more and more distant as he moved.

He looked back towards Ino who was pushing herself to keep up "Did Hinata and Tayuya get up?"

"I woke Tayuya up but she probably didn't wake Hinata up." Ino said back with as she shook her head in disapproval.

"Fall back a little bit so you can make sure they are behind us." Naruto said and was given a nod by Ino before she jumped back.

Naruto turned his attention back a head of him as he moved faster. All he could think about was talking to his mentor again, there were too many questions bothering him and he needed reassurance.

"They're up and right behind us." Ino yelled from over Naruto's shoulder as she sped up to him.

"Good, make sure Hinata keeps up, because we're going full speed." Naruto warned her as he lengthened his strides.

"Understood." Ino said as she dropped back yet again to check up on Hinata.

Naruto tuned out all the background noise around him as he stared at the orange horizon; _Hopefully you have some good news for me pervy sage._

* * *

The sun shined brightly in the sky radiating its warmth abundantly among the fields of the Tea Country. Naruto put his hand to brow to shade his eyes as he looked around for the building Jiraiya had described to him.

They were approaching a rather large building coming up but it didn't look like any resort Naruto had ever seen. He turned around and looked back towards the group of women behind him.

They were all fairly tired because each of them had only slept for a couple of hours and the travelling had been intense but they all seemed happy nonetheless. Ino and Tayuya were discussing something amongst themselves while Hinata brought up the rear appearing thoroughly worn out.

Their attention turned to Naruto once they realized he had stopped walking.

"How far away is the old man this time? I don't see the usual dump so we still must have a long ways to go right?" Tayuya asked as she walked up to Naruto.

Naruto just smiled at them as he took in Tayuya's and Hinata's confused looks. He turned around without saying a word and just continued walking towards the building which was completely isolated from everything.

They had just crossed the border over an hour ago and since then they had not passed any major towns. Now the only thing around them was this massive building that looked like someone's mansion and it only confused them.

He could hear Tayuya questioning Ino as to what was going on but she only laughed. Naruto nearly rejoiced as he made it to the front of the building and the shade of a large tree protected him from the sun.

"What the fuck is going on?" Tayuya asked in irritation as no one gave her an answer.

"Calm down Tayuya, you'll see soon enough." Naruto said with a smile as he ushered the group inside the building.

They all walked in and he followed as the immediate change in temperature hit him. The inside of the building was very cool and relaxed while outside it was extremely hot and humid.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he looked around. They were standing in a large open lobby filled with random people walking back and forth from the two hallways to each side.

From the looks of it the place had a fair amount of shinobi and civilians and was heavily staffed. Naruto walked past the group and towards the desk at the far end of the lobby.

"Hello, we're here with Wizarobe. I was told our bill was paid in advance by him." Naruto said politely with a smile.

"Hmm, let me check. Yes it's all right here. His quarters are in the back on the hill, to get there take this hallway right here and go through the third door. It should be up ahead." The receptionist said with a smile.

Naruto smiled back and motioned for his women to follow as he started down the long hallway. He carefully examined every person they passed as they made it through the building.

Most of them in this section were low level ninja's but a few looked formidable enough to cause problems if provoked. Ino suddenly walked up to Naruto's side and grabbed his hand.

He looked at her but smile as he say how excited she seemed "How long are we staying here?"

"As long as you guys want" Naruto said as he smiled back.

"Ha ha, you might regret that later." Ino warned him with a smile.

"What makes you say that?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"They have one of the few all natural hot springs here. I heard they are amazing and are absolutely huge. I also read it's supposedly great for your skin so I may never leave." Ino joked with a smile.

"That's fucking stupid." Tayuya interrupted from behind them as she tried to squeeze between them.

"You may be used to the shitty water that we get in Oto but I actually know how a real bath feels." Ino said stubbornly.

"Who cares about a big fucking pond of hot water?" Tayuya said unimpressed.

"It's very relaxing and you could definitely use some relaxation." Ino said she tried to push Tayuya away from Naruto.

Naruto just sighed as he ignored them both and opened the door that led them outside and hoped they wouldn't cause a scene like usual. He walked ahead of them to escape the noise as Ino made fun of Tayuya for being tomboyish and Tayuya ordered Hinata to take her side so they could team up against Ino.

There was a dirt path the led up a hill and stopped at a small cliff that overlooked a large body of water that Naruto assumed was the natural hot spring. As Naruto reached the cliff he noticed the small house hidden on the far side of the cliff.

Naruto smiled as he saw a man in an open red and brown button up shirt and dark green shorts sitting in a lawn chair at the cliff overseeing the hot springs. He had a large telescope in his hand and was surveying the people beneath him.

"Jiraiya!" Naruto said as he waved at the man.

Jiraiya stopped what he was doing and looked up to see Naruto, Ino, Tayuya, and Hinata coming his way. He waved back and put down his stuff as he got up and started to walk towards them.

"So you actually made it here in such a small amount of time." Jiraiya said rather amused.

"Yeah, I wanted to get here early enough to enjoy this place." Naruto said as he walked up to Jiraiya's side.

"So I see the new girl is as beautiful as the others." Jiraiya said with a grin as he shot a look back at Hinata.

"Try not to bother her too much Jiraiya. A lot has happened in the past twenty four hours so I doubt she wants to deal with you too." Naruto said as he walked past Jiraiya and took a seat in his chair.

Jiraiya smiled but turned around to the group of women approaching him.

Ino smiled as she saw Jiraiya waiting to greet them. She had spent a decent amount of time with the man over the years and now he was like family to her. She honestly thought of him as nothing more than a perverted uncle of hers and would sometimes even refer to him as "Uncle Jiraiya" when she really wanted to get something out of him.

He was standing in front of her now with his arms wide open waiting to embrace her in a hug. She moved into his arms and hugged him back actually very happy to see him despite the circumstance.

He released the hug and smiled at her, "Ino you grow more beautiful every time I see you."

Ino laughed "Why thank you, I'm really glad to see you too! It's been a really long time since we've had this much time to ourselves."

"I know Naruto's told me how things have been lately but it should be getting better soon." Jiraiya said with an assuring smile.

"I hope so." Ino said with a frown.

"So... are you ladies going to go enjoy the hot spring?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk.

"Of course, where is it?" Ino asked excitedly.

"It's just right down there. From this spot you're practically right above it." Jiraiya said as he pointed over the edge.

"You wouldn't happen to be stalking girls half your age up here now would you?" Ino teased with a smile.

"Ha ha, of course not but if you are thinking of taking a dip I think I might have some bikinis in my room for you guys." Jiraiya suggested as he tried and failed to keep himself from grinning lecherously.

"Hmm, no that's okay I think I'll just go in naked." Ino said knowing the comment would cause Jiraiya to explode with excitement.

"Ohhh well that's even better, for your body I mean." Jiraiya quickly corrected.

"I'm going to go in now, I'll talk to you more afterward." Ino said as she walked past Jiraiya.

Jiraiya watched her go as his eyes were instantly glued to her ass as he could easily make out the smooth shape of her plump butt because of her tight skirt.

"You're such a fucking piece of shit!"

Jiraiya frowned but turned around and smiled welcomingly at Tayuya as she stood there watching him with a look of disgust on her face.

"What? I was just--"

"Save it. I know how desperate and perverted you are you don't have to try to make excuses." Tayuya said as she let it go.

"Why'd you have to say desperate?" Jiraiya said with a long face.

"I hope you know it's bullshit that we're out on missions working hard while you're over here trying to rape girls young enough to be your granddaughters." Tayuya said as she tried to walk past Jiraiya but he didn't let her.

"Hey c'mon now, I'm not that old for god sake. Besides is that any way to greet someone you care about?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk as he got closer towards her.

Tayuya turned bright red and turned her head away from Jiraiya so he wouldn't see her "I don't fucking like you, you stupid old lecher!" she said purposely loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hinata watched them with a perplexed look on her face but didn't try to interfere. She walked up them trying to not laugh at Tayuya's embarrassment as it looked like Jiraiya was trying to give her a kiss.

"Hello I'm Hinata." She greeted as she bowed slightly.

"Well Hello beautiful, I'm the Great Toad Sage but you can call me Jiraiya." he said with a smile as he stopped pestering Tayuya for a moment.

"It's very nice to meet you Jiraiya." Hinata said but she shot Tayuya a look and could tell they were in the middle of something.

"If you don't mind I think I'm going to go lie down, may I use your room?" Hinata asked politely.

"Sure go ahead. What's mine is yours, the doors are all unlocked so just go right in." Jiraiya said as he pointed towards the cabin behind them.

"Thank you very much!" Hinata said gratefully as she left.

Jiraiya waited until Hinata was out of earshot and then whispered to Tayuya "Okay she's gone now can you at least look at me?"

Tayuya reluctantly looked at Jiraiya as he smiled proudly at her "I know we haven't talked in a long time but I haven't forgotten about you. I really missed you the most the past couple of months."

Tayuya didn't say anything back she just looked at him with a softened look on her face, even with a hint of a smile.

"Listen I have some new earth jutsu I want to teach you so next time you're coming to visit prepare for a workout. I've found a few techniques in particular that I thought you'd enjoy and I've been dying to show you them." Jiraiya whispered to her.

Her face lit up with excitement but she tried not to draw too much attention to herself.

"So can I get a kiss now?" Jiraiya asked modestly with a smirk on his face.

Tayuya gave him a stern look but then quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching. She quickly leaned forward and gave Jiraiya a quick peck on the cheek before she moved away.

"Just leave me alone now you stupid old man." She said in an angry tone as she pretend like the father/daughter moment didn't just happen and went to go find Ino.

Jiraiya smiled happily as he walked over to join Naruto near the edge of the cliff.

Just as he was nearing Naruto Ino walked past him completely naked and dived off the cliff straight into the hot springs. Tayuya came a second later and jumped after her but she had remained in her bra and panties.

Jiraiya did a double take and almost dived in after them but he managed to suppress the urges. He shook the sight of Ino naked out of his head so he could concentrate again and then walked up to Naruto.

"I swear I'll be on my deathbed and Tayuya will still refuse to give me a hug." Jiraiya joked as he sat in his chair.

"Yeah but you know she has no problem giving you a kiss." Naruto said with a chuckle as he watched the people beneath them freak out as Ino and Tayuya fell into the water causing a good amount of water to splash everyone around them.

"Ha ha, if she thought that Ino found out she'd probably kick my ass." Jiraiya said feeling highly amused by that fact.

"She loves you so much though, you're like a father to both of us and that really means something to Tayuya. She just doesn't like to appear vulnerable but you already know that." Naruto said as he watched a hawk soar overhead.

"That's why it's so hard letting you guys stay in Oto." Jiraiya said very seriously.

Naruto turned around in shock "What do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Jiraiya said.

"You know it's too early for that though, Orochimaru and Sasuke are still alive." Naruto said sounding very disappointed.

"Why hasn't he taken the Uchiha yet?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

"I told you, Orochimaru doesn't want Sasuke's body until Sasuke has unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan because Orochimaru isn't sure how to achieve it himself. That's why he's been waiting all these years but I have a feeling Sasuke isn't going to tell him if he unlocks it anyway." Naruto told him.

"What do you think he's planning on doing?" Jiraiya asked.

"If I know Sasuke he's going to try to gain his new Sharingan without telling Orochimaru and then use it against him." Naruto said with a look of fury on his face.

"It's been a little over two and a half years since Orochimaru's last body, how long do you think he'll last before he needs a new host?" Jiraiya questioned.

"He's been really sick lately which is why it's been so easy to come and go as we please. I honestly think he needs a new body right away and I think his patience has run dry with Sasuke. He might forget about the high level Sharingan and just demand his body now." Naruto suggested.

"Do you really think he's become that desperate?" Jiraiya asked.

"You should see him right now. He's completely falling apart and it's obvious Kabuto can only ease his pain. Orochimaru has been unable to even walk for the last past couple of weeks." Naruto said with a laugh as he thought about it.

"So in the worst possible scenario what do you think is going to happen?" Jiraiya mused as he grabbed his telescope and aimed back down at the hot spring full of women.

"Orochimaru takes over Sasuke and then with Kabuto decides to kill us all off. The only problem with fighting him is his ridiculous arsenal of forbidden jutsu. Ino and Tayuya can take Kabuto down no problem but Orochimaru at full strength is beyond our skill level." Naruto said in irritation.

"I don't want you guys to get in over your heads with this so I want you to call me if you think something is going down. I'll be in the area so a summon will be able to reach me in no time." Jiraiya said as he put the telescope back down on the ground.

"That's worst case scenario, that doesn't necessarily mean things are going to happen like that. In all probability either Sasuke or myself is going to kill Orochimaru since he's already pathetically weak and then we're going to try to kill each other." Naruto said calmly as he zoned out.

"Do you think you can take down Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked with a hint of worry.

"I'm not the same person I use to be, I won't hold back this time." Naruto said as he clenched his fist.

"You don't plan on using the Kyuubi do you?" Jiraiya asked skeptically.

"If it comes to it, then yes but I really hope that I don't have to resort to the Kyuubi." Naruto said with a sad look on his face.

"How has the seal been holding up? I know you said you were having more problems so maybe I should take a look at it." Jiraiya said

"Yeah we should probably get to that before the girls get back." Naruto said as he stood up and took off his shirt.

"C'mon let's go indoors for a minute." Jiraiya said as he got out of his chair and headed towards the small house behind them.

Naruto followed him inside and closed the door behind him. Jiraiya walked into the living room of the small cabin and motioned for Naruto to sit on the small coffee table. Naruto did as he was instructed and watched as Jiraiya unraveled a large scroll and started to prepare the unusual jutsu.

He prepared an elaborate seal that covered his entire hand and extended to his shoulder. The seal moved all over his arm as if it was alive. He looked towards Naruto, "Okay I need you to channel some of the demonic chakra."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes for a second as he tried to pinch off as small an amount of demonic chakra as possible. Jiraiya waited a few seconds but sure enough the seal appeared on his stomach and slowly continued until it covered his entire body.

Jiraiya slammed his palm into the center of the seal in the middle of Naruto's stomach and tried to funnel his chakra into the seal. He closed his eyes and tried to connect with Naruto.

Suddenly he could feel the chakra causing a burning sensation in his entire body as he tried to squeeze the Kyuubi's chakra from the seal. Then he reversed the chakra flow and poured his own into Naruto.

He felt the weight of all of Naruto's emotions hit him at once. Waves and waves of feelings from the past three day's bombarded him. He opened his eyes in pain and quickly pulled his hand away and the seal on his instantly disappeared.

"Well how does it look? Bad?" Naruto asked with a little bit of fear.

"It's hard to say, it's in a worse state than it was before but the erosion rate seems accelerated. All the repairs I've made seem to have been for nothing." Jiraiya said in vain as he appeared genuinely distraught.

"How long do you think I have before it completely disintegrates?" Naruto asked in a gloomy voice.

"I think it all has to do with your own mental state." Jiraiya said morbidly.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Jiraiya looked down at the ground and sighed as he tried to find the words. Naruto could tell whatever he had to say was hard for him to admit but he hoped it wasn't terrible news.

"Listen Naruto, I know I can't really judge you after all you've been through but just keep in mind I'm telling you this for your own good." Jiraiya started out as he looked Naruto deep in the eyes.

"Jiraiya whatever it is you know I can handle it." Naruto reassured him.

"Alright, well here it is: you have to let go of all the pent up emotion you have. Every time I connect with the seal and your subconscious I can feel everything you've tried to keep deep inside and it's frightening." Jiraiya said with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I don't know what you mean" Naruto said as he looked away from Jiraiya.

"Naruto I've never felt so much hate and fury before in my life. I know you've had a terrible life and you've constantly suffered so those feelings are natural, but you can't carry those emotions with you the rest of your life." Jiraiya said.

"How? What can I possible do to forget everything that happened to me before I met you?" Naruto asked with a bitter chuckle.

"Only you can figure that out. I'm not saying you have to forget your past but it's affecting the seal. I know you're only human but you've had an enormous weight put on your shoulders since birth and I guess you just have to handle it." Jiraiya said sadly.

"I know a lot of people didn't know the true Naruto Uzumaki but when I first met you I could tell you were hurting. You've always been such a happy person but most the time you put on that fake smile and act like nothing wrongs even though it's eating away at you inside."

"You've spent so many years of your life taking abuse from an entire village and being isolated and I know you haven't forgotten that pain but you can't let it own you. I can see the unquenchable fury in your eyes sometimes and it really worries me because I know you've spent years under conditions that would have broken a lesser shinobi"

"But now you have to find peace somehow. Your soul itself is in turmoil and unless you release all the hatred and rage you'll be eaten up by it. You know the Kyuubi feeds off your emotions and it's gorging itself on your rage right now. Every time you become severely angry it takes the opportunity to bleed it's chakra into yours." Jiraiya explained.

"How is that any different from before when it took control when I would become really mad?" Naruto asked.

"This time since your anger is the catalyst and the seal is in such bad condition the Kyuubi has a deeper connection with you. Your emotions can very well be your downfall, they are manifesting themselves with the help of the Kyuubi." Jiraiya said morbidly.

"So what you're saying is that I have to forget every bad emotion I've ever felt otherwise my anger will always draw out the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked with an amused chuckle as he put on a fake smile yet again as grim thoughts entered his mind.

"I know that's a scary thought but I know you of all people can find a way." Jiraiya said boldly.

Naruto didn't say anything back, he simply stared at the ground as he thought about everything Jiraiya had just told him. He looked back up at his mentor with a troubled expression.

"In the worst case scenario, if I'm completely infuriated for the next two weeks, how long do I have?" Naruto asked again this time staring Jiraiya right in the face.

"It all depends on how many tails form, if all four spawn and you probably have twenty four hours of use in that state before you lose your very self." Jiraiya said as he took a step away from Naruto.

"So technically speaking I can use the forth tail chakra cloak for up to twenty three hours and fifty nine minutes and still keep my soul?" Naruto said slightly interested.

"I don't think you understand, that's twenty-four hours total for the rest of your life. Let's say you use that power for three hours total next week. That means you have only twenty-one hours left for however many years you have left to live. And remember that's just an estimate, it might be a few minutes more or a few less but it's at least over twenty-two hours." Jiraiya said.

"That's fine… I won't need it for more than thirty minutes at the most." Naruto said to himself as he stood up.

"I thought you said you weren't planning on using the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya asked as they both started to leave the cabin.

"I said I'm hoping I don't have to but if things don't go well I will use everything in my arsenal to crush Sasuke." Naruto said as he put his shirt back on.

"You really are determined to beat him aren't you?" Jiraiya said not sounding too pleased by Naruto's declaration.

"It can't be any other way, the world just isn't biggest enough for the both of us and unfortunately for Sasuke I'm not going anywhere." Naruto said as he stood at the edge of the cliff looking down into the water.

"Let go of you're hatred Naruto, if you have to kill Sasuke don't do it because of your personal vendetta." Jiraiya warned him.

Naruto smiled as he stared at the reflection of the sun in the water "I promised someone a long time ago that I'd bring Sasuke back to Konoha, even if I had to break all his limbs to do so. And I WILL bring him back, even if he's just a corpse".

* * *

**A/N**: Okay I'm really bad at judging how long a chapter will run but next chapter for sure we'll be back in Oto. The dialog in this chapter was more than I original planned but it's important that you get the whole picture here. I know it's easy to miss the minor details but every thing that happens could have an impact on the future.

Okay so I know there has been mixed feelings and some confusion about the scene with Sakura in the last chapter and I'd like to address that now. Unless I say otherwise in an authors note she is still in the harem, so if I decide to take her out you will be warned/informed. I have no intention of doing so but if for whatever bizarre reason I change my mind at the last minute you'll know ahead of time.

Secondly I remember a while back someone asked me why I described this as a dark Naruto story if everything Naruto has done has been for the greater good. That's actually a really good question and I hope most people have noticed this. I wanted to focus heavily on character development in this story and show the progression of good to evil. Meaning that Naruto may still be fighting for the innocent now but that will have changed by the time this story is over.

I know everyone doesn't dissect things like I do but it's the small details in this story that are going to make the difference later. Everything that happens is for a reason and I'm someone that believes greatly in foreshadowing because it shows the reader on a second read through everything that was happening from the beginning only from a different perspective.

Basically the main theme of this story is this little saying : "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions". That's something to think about as this story continues, no one is inherently evil and it's the fall into darkness that is most important.

Anyway Thanks for Reading and Don't forget to Review!


	8. Business

**A/N:** And the pendulum continues to swing…

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu **

Chapter 8: Business

Tayuya swam uneasily in the steamy hot spring. There was about twenty or so people in there besides her and Ino so they had plenty of room. Ino apparently was an expert swimmer while Tayuya on the other hand had swallowed more water than anything else.

Tayuya groaned as she watched Ino swim around freely while she barely kept her head above water. She stopped trying to chase after Ino because she had already lost the little race they had started a little over ten minutes ago but Ino thought it would be funny to keep doing laps just to rub it in.

The hot steamy water was actually very relaxing and it felt good on Tayuya's sore muscles but she didn't like admitting she was wrong so she made sure to complain as much as possible.

She let herself sink a little deeper so that just her nose was above water. Tayuya scoped out the other women that were in the pool of water with them. Most of which appeared harmless and they were paying no attention to them.

Tayuya and Ino got several glares after they dived into the water and splashed everyone but after that people went back to their business. Everyone was wearing bathing suits besides Ino who chose to be naked and Tayuya who was wearing her bra and panties.

Ino who was having way too much fun was making her way towards Tayuya again. Tayuya went under the water and looked around. The spring was completely natural so it was very deep and the bottom was laced with rather sharp looking rocks.

She looked back upwards to see Ino swimming overhead. She quickly went back up springing out of the water behind Ino and put her in a chokehold.

"Ha ha, gotcha bitch!" Tayuya declared as she tried to drag Ino under the water.

Ino coughed and struggled as she fought to free herself "Get off me! Tayuya I'm serious!"

Tayuya only smiled before she took a deep breath and took them both under the water. She smirked as she held Ino a little bit tighter but then the smirk disappeared as Ino exploded in a gush of wind and smoke.

Tayuya looked around confused but then groaned as she quickly went back up to the surface. Her head emerged from the water as she coughed and little because she ended up drinking more of the water.

She cursed under her breath as her wet hair got in the way of her eyes and she brushed it away. As she was doing this she noticed the presence of somehow right in front of her.

"You're so predictable." Ino said with sigh of pity as she watched Tayuya struggled to keep herself above water.

"You think you're so damn smart don't you?" Tayuya asked sarcastically as she started to move towards the edge of the spring.

"I don't understand why you're such a sore loser. You're the one that challenged me to a race even though you knew you could barely swim." Ino said as she shook her in disapproval.

"Alright I get it." Tayuya said in annoyance as she reached the edge and looked around.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked as she watched her with a slight amusement.

"I'm going to steal us some towels." Tayuya answered causally as she pulled herself out of the water and walked over to some towels lying near the edge.

Ino chuckled as she watched Tayuya walked over to them despite the fact that the two women they probably belonged to were only four feet away. Tayuya picked them up and when one of them said something to her she simply flipped her off and kept walking.

"C'mon let's go see what Naruto-Sama is doing." Tayuya suggested as she tossed the spare towel to Ino who got out of the spring as well.

"He's probably busy with Jiraiya, do you really think we should bother him?" Ino asked as she wrapped the towel tightly around her body.

"Yes." Tayuya said simply as they started to walk the path back up the hill.

"I don't know why I even ask you, of course you won't pass on an opportunity to bother him." Ino thought out loud.

"Hmmp, it's better than sitting in that damn hot spring." Tayuya said as her brow twitched in anger.

"Stop lying, you know you enjoyed it" Ino teased as she elbowed the redhead.

"No I didn't, and I hate you for making me go." Tayuya retorted.

"I didn't make you do anything, you followed me, remember?" Ino said as they approached Jiraiya's cabin again.

Tayuya ignored her as the sight of Naruto and Jiraiya came into view. Naruto was standing at the very edge of the cliff as if he was debating jumping off or not and Jiraiya was sitting back in his chair with his monocular.

"I'm going to go get dressed" Ino said as she went to the side of the cabin where she discarded her clothes.

Tayuya walked over to Jiraiya and sat down next to his chair "Did you look at the seal yet?"

"Yeah, I talked to Naruto about everything already so don't worry." Jiraiya said as he stopped watching the girls and looked at Tayuya.

"Is there something else bothering you?" Jiraiya asked concerned.

"Why would something else be bothering me?" Tayuya asked as she pretended to not know what he was referring to.

"You sit by me and say nothing when you really want to talk. You've been doing that for years, if I didn't catch on by now what kind of parent would I be?" Jiraiya asked.

"You're not my father." Tayuya said defiantly.

Jiraiya just frowned but didn't say anything. He looked back towards Naruto who was balancing very dangerously near the edge still a gently breeze away from tipping over and falling.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean that." Tayuya apologized shamefully.

"I know." Jiraiya said with a content smile.

"If I had to choose someone to be my father it would be you, but I'm not some little kid. I don't need someone older than me that would pretend like they love me." Tayuya said bitterly.

Jiraiya sighed as he noticed the anger in Tayuya's tone, "I know Tayuya, but luckily you found people that do really love you. Like Naruto and Ino, and hopefully you and Hinata will become close friends too. I don't know if it matters but I want you to know I love you too and that I'm very proud of you. You and Naruto have endured a lot and I'm happy to see that you didn't allow Orochimaru to break your spirit."

Tayuya looked over at Jiraiya with a slight blush on her face but simply looked down at the grass in embarrassment.

"Do you really mean all of that?" Tayuya asked quietly.

"You know I do, now what is it that's bothering you?" Jiraiya asked as he got up and sat down in the grass very close to her.

"I think there is something going on that I don't know about and I'm afraid Naruto and Ino might be in danger." Tayuya said as she stared at the waving blades of grass.

"What makes you say that?" Jiraiya asked.

"The seal has never been this weak before, I know Ino isn't sure what's going on but I've seen this all before. Naruto hasn't been in this kind of condition for years and now just isn't good timing for all this to happen." Tayuya said sadly.

"Don't worry I have a feeling everything is going to be fine." Jiraiya tried to assure her as he put his arm over her shoulder.

"We both know that Naruto-Sama could be destroyed by the Kyuubi any day now and then we'd all be killed in the aftermath. I want you to promise me Naruto-Sama is going to be alright." Tayuya said.

"Nothing is going to happen Tayuya, you don't have to worry." Jiraiya said with a look of gloom.

"Promise me!" Tayuya demanded.

"Look I can't do that, because as much faith as I have in Naruto I don't want to lie. Naruto could temporarily loose control but I promise you that he can also make sure he won't lose his consciousness to the Kyuubi." Jiraiya compromised

"So he really is going to lose control." Tayuya thought out loud.

"He's been dancing on the brink of dominance this entire time, the best thing you can do is just have faith." Jiraiya explained.

Tayuya looked conflicted but she didn't respond to Jiraiya's comment. Jiraiya opened his mouth to try to comfort her again but he couldn't find the right words.

"I've told Naruto that I want you guys to break free now. It's best to use Orochimaru's illness against him and strike now before anything else happens. I know Orochimaru shouldn't be too much a problem in his state but Sasuke is another story." Jiraiya said woefully

"I want you there!" Tayuya said abruptly.

Jiraiya stared at her in a bit of confusion at her sudden outburst.

"I want you to be there to protect them. I know you're really strong and I don't think I can keep them safe by myself. They're everything to me right now" Tayuya said as if she was near the brink of tears.

"Calm down Tayuya everything is going to be alright, if it will really make you feel better I'll come with you guys. I'll stay close by in Oto and just wait for your signal but do you really think you'll need me." Jiraiya said.

"I can feel the life of other people that have the curse marks and I can feel them disappearing. Out of everyone in the sound five only me and Kimmimaro are left, that means everyone else was murdered." Tayuya said.

"Who do you think is responsible for their deaths?" Jiraiya asked.

"Sasuke has been tearing apart anyone who has sided with us so now we're outnumbered but that's not the problem. Since we're going to be going up against possibly two or three times our number's Naruto is going to use the Kyuubi."

"You weren't there when it happened last time but he nearly killed Ino. I don't think I have ever been that scared in my life. I just want some insurance if things get that bad. I don't know why but I feel really safe when you're around." Tayuya admitted.

Jiraiya smiled "Things aren't going to get that far out of hand. I believe Naruto won't make the same mistake twice. Trust me he has what it takes to defeat Sasuke without giving up his will to the demon"

Tayuya smiled "Maybe you're right. Thank you Jiraiya"

"Hey Tayuya, are you guys ready to get something to eat?" Naruto asked as he walked over towards them.

"Yeah, wait actually Ino and I got you a surprise!" Tayuya said excitedly as she got up and went to go find the scroll she stashed away in her clothes.

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he followed her.

"It's a surprise so you can't look until I get it." Tayuya said as she pushed him away.

"Ha ha, alright I'll be waiting, by the way where's Ino?" Naruto asked as he walked towards Jiraiya.

"I don't know." Tayuya said as she walked over to the far side of the house to her clothes.

She unwrapped the towel and took off her wet bra and panties and left them on the ground while she dried herself off and put on her pants and shirt. She walked back around just as Ino stepped out from the house.

"What were you just doing?" Tayuya asked suspiciously.

"I went to go check up on Hinata, she looked really exhausted when we got here and she had been really quiet since we left so I wanted to see if she was feeling alright." Ino said.

"It's only been a day since we met her so she better not be complaining already." Tayuya warned.

"She's still asleep, I think she just wasn't prepared to be travelling so much. Do you think I should wake her up?" Ino asked.

"Yeah go wake her ass up, I'm getting the ramen now so if she wants to eat this is her only chance." Tayuya said.

"Alright I'll be back then." Ino said as she went back inside.

Tayuya walked over to Jiraiya and Naruto with the scroll tucked neatly under her arm.

"What's that?" Naruto asked anxiously as he noticed the scroll.

"Lunch!" Tayuya said as she unrolled it between them and released the seal.

In a large cloud of smoke over twenty large bowls of steamy hot ramen appeared in a neat circle. Tayuya smiled as she saw Naruto staring at the ramen with the biggest smile she had ever seen.

"You guys are so amazing! I'm so lucky to have you two!" Naruto declared as he jumped up and hugged Tayuya tightly.

"Hey." Ino said as walked up to the group with a very sleepy Hinata.

Tayuya sat down in a circle with everyone and shared a bowl with Ino while Hinata nibbled on her own bowl and Jiraiya had two. Naruto cleaned out all the others by himself in a ramen-crazed frenzy.

Tayuya looked around at the people that she considered her family with pride. She felt a great warmth in her heart as she enjoyed the scene around her. Naruto was sitting contently across from her with noodles all over his face, Jiraiya was laughing merrily about something perverted with Ino who was giggling herself.

Hinata who had been fairly quiet this whole time was actually very involved in the discussion and was telling a story about Naruto when he was a gennin with her. Naruto now had joined in the laughter as Hinata described some of the more memorable days of Naruto's academy antics.

This was the only thing Tayuya cared about, the people that made her feel accepted and loved because in the end that was all she ever wanted. Years in Otogakure as an orphan had given her a childhood even worse than Naruto's but unlike Naruto she didn't grow to be accepted by her peers.

That's why every bond that she did make meant the world to her and she would rather die herself than let those she cared about suffer. Her only real goal in life was to keep those she loved safe and she intended on doing that no matter what.

She didn't know happiness until she and Naruto found each other and now she was determined to protect him and her knew found friends. For once in her life she felt truly loved and no other feeling in the world was more important to her.

She smiled as Ino started to try to feed her in an effort to tease her. She reluctantly let the blonde feed her noodles but she didn't really care because she enjoyed the attention.

She chewed the noodles with a serene look on her face. _When this mess is all over we'll be able to be together like a real family, then things will be perfect. _

_

* * *

  
_

Naruto patted his full stomach as he finished the last bowl of ramen. He leaned back and sighed as he relaxed. He looked around him, everyone was talking and laughing as Hinata told stories about their academy days.

_Those were good times, _Naruto thought happily as he remembered how simple things were back than.

He let his head fall back as he looked up at the sky. It was now getting late in the afternoon. _We should probably start to head back to Oto soon. We've been gone long enough as it is._

"So are you guys ready to make you're move?" Jiraiya asked as he looked around the group.

"I think we're in the best condition if any to start the revolt." Ino said.

"It all depends on how Kimimaro's squad is doing and if Hinata is really on par with the rest of us." Tayuya said as she sipped a bottle of sake.

"Tayuya has a point, we need to find a way to incorporate Hinata in our attack plans. I don't know if we have enough time to fully train her like we did with Ino but she shouldn't need it. What do you think?" Naruto asked as he looked at Hinata.

"I think I'm ready." Hinata said confidently.

"We're going against lots of enemies most of which will be jounin level, are you sure you are going to be up to it?" Naruto asked again.

"Yes, I work well when outnumbered because of my Byakugan and I've been involved in several sieges during my time in Konoha. Before I left they had offered me a chance to enter the ANBU program." Hinata told him.

"Okay, I want you to work with a friend of mine named Kimimaro, he's going to be leading the second assault team. We'll talk more about it later when we reach Oto and get you settled in." Naruto said.

"Do you really think two teams are enough?" Jiraiya asked skeptically.

"Its quality over quantity in this battle, both of our teams are extremely powerful and have amazing chemistry. We'll be going against Orochimaru's men and Sasuke's squad along with everyone who are behind him."

"We have more ninja on our side than the people on the two teams but it's the teams that are going to be doing the majority of the fighting. We've recruited lots of others that will aid the main teams."

"Kimimaro's team is going to take care of the lower level loyalist and the jounins still on Orochimaru's side while my team is taking out Sasuke's team directly and possibly Kabuto if he interferes." Naruto said.

"Is it really safe to say that Kimimaro's team can handle everyone else besides Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked.

"Kimimaro is the third strongest in Oto and his second level cursed seal form is beastly. Despite his illness he's only improved in strength over the years. Honestly he's probably just as strong as me if I don't use the Kyuubi." Naruto suggested.

"Sakon and Ukon were killed." Tayuya said.

Naruto looked at her in confusion "When? How? Do you feel any signal of their seals left or are they dead for sure?" Naruto asked.

"I have no clue but I can't sense them at all now, they've most likely been dead for hours know. If they're dead there's a chance Dosu and Zaku are pushing up daises as well." Tayuya informed him.

"SHIT! Do you think there was another big fight while we were gone?" Naruto asked as the relaxed and peaceful mood he was in vanished.

"It's possible but I hope not, we can't really afford to lose more ninja." Tayuya said bitterly.

"Damnit every time I leave this shit happens!" Naruto said in anger as he suddenly got up.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked as Naruto walked away from the circle.

"We have to hurry up and get back right now! I'm tired of Sasuke and his bullshit!" Naruto said bitterly as he started run his hand through his hair.

Jiraiya sighed as he got up "Listen if you guys are going to leave send me a toad with your location as soon as you make it back so he can lead me there. I want to remain close by if anything happens"

"Okay I'll make sure it gets done. C'mon let's go." Naruto said as he turned around to the group.

Naruto rubbed his temples as he thought about the possible suspects and the action he should take. _Why does this always have to happen whenever I'm having a decent day? I should go back to Oto and kick Sasuke's ass right then and there. _

_How many people are going to have to die before there's finally peace? Thanks to Sasuke most of the decent ninja of Oto have been killed. All that's left are the assholes that are Loyal to Sasuke._

_We need to hurry up and get situated so we can start the rebellion soon. I've been waiting years for this and I don't want everything to get fucked up now. I need to talk to Kimimaro and we have to find a place to position Hinata before the fighting breaks out. _

_I want her to be safe in all of the commotion and I think it would be best if she was placed in an experienced team. Maybe I should deal with Sasuke and his team all by myself so that Ino and Tayuya can help out once Kabuto is gone?_

_Yeah that's a good idea, they can move to team two once Kabuto is dead and keep an eye out for Hinata as well._

"We're all ready to go." Tayuya said as she walked up to Naruto.

Naruto nodded and looked back at Jiraiya "Okay, we'll be seeing you soon." he said as he gave Jiraiya a little salute.

"Alright, try not to do anything stupid." Jiraiya said with a smile.

Naruto smiled back but took off right there with Ino and Hinata right behind him while Tayuya ran back to say something to Jiraiya before leaving.

Naruto tried to clear his mind as they exited the resort but he was anxious to get back now. After years and waiting and planning this could be the time their plans would be set in action.

This could be the end of Otogakure as the world has come to know it and it all depended on one person, Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Ino found herself squinting as the harsh wind cut at her face. Her hair was flying wildly in every direction and she sat on Gamabunta's head while they soared through the sky at record speed.

Naruto was standing in front of them using his chakra to hold him down but the wind was too harsh for them to withstand so expertly. Hinata was holding on desperately to Ino's waist while Tayuya was attempting to stand next to Naruto.

Ino tried to brace herself as she saw a large body of water approaching. She bent down just as Gamabunta slammed into the water splashing it all around them and causing them to be sprayed with mist.

Ino groaned as she moved her hair from her eyes and looked far ahead hoping to see a familiar landmark. They had been travelling for hours since they left Jiraiya and Ino was hoping they would make it to the base soon.

She could see Naruto was on edge again which was very disappointing because they had just gotten him to relax. It was hard to expect him to remain carefree with so much happening but it didn't hurt to have hope.

Ino mentally rejoiced as she noticed that she recognized the landscape of this area. She tilted her head back towards Hinata "Prepare to jump because we're almost there."

Hinata nodded and let go of her, she slid back a little but she pressed her hands down against Gamabunta's back steadying herself. Ino got on her hands and knees and prepared for the freefall any second now.

"We're jumping in 3….2…1….go!" Naruto yelled over the sound of gushing wind as Gamabunta disappeared in a cloud of smoke and they all came falling through.

Ino had been over this maneuver hundreds of times but it always made her adrenaline pump like crazy each time. She extended her arms and leaned forwards as she fell through the air in an attempt to gain control of how she was falling.

She shifted her weight and then pressed her arms against her sides to be more streamlined. She could see Tayuya ahead of her and Naruto in the lead with his body in a cannonball that was spinning rapidly.

Ino shot a look back to see that even Hinata had caught on and although she looked like she didn't have complete control she appeared confident. Ino turned her attention back towards the ground as it approached them rapidly.

Ino extended her arms and legs to help reduce her speed and quickly scanned the trees for branches. She watched as Naruto opened up from his cannonball and grabbed a branch swinging himself off of it like a gymnast and sending his body forward with less momentum.

Ino spun around and kicked off the same branch as she tried to level out her speed. She tucked her body together in a ball to avoid hitting a tree and twisted abruptly so she could grab a passing branch.

She grabbed it with both arms and swung around it a few times before losing her speed and perching herself like a bird on top of it. She looked back to see Hinata pass her going much slower but with no real way of stopping.

Hinata tucked her body together and hit the ground at an angle so that she tucked and rolled for a few meters before she stopped. Ino smiled as she jumped to the ground and walked over to her.

"Not a bad landing." She complimented as she watched Hinata brush the dirt out of her hair.

"Thank you." Hinata said a little short of breath as she recomposed herself.

Ino turned around to see Naruto and Tayuya up ahead of them. She turned her attention back to Hinata "C'mon let's go we're falling behind."

She started to follow them with Hinata right beside her.

"Do you guys always make such flashy entrances?" Hinata asked as she finally caught her breath.

"Ha ha, not really but Naruto usually likes to travel by toad so you're going to have to get use to it." Ino said with a smile.

"This is all so surreal, I really didn't think all of this could be going on and no one knows anything about it. I still can't believe any of this is actually happening." Hinata said in awe as they continued through the forest.

"Well just so you know you're handling this all way better than I did. I was completely terrified when I first came here, you seem really calm and collect though." Ino noticed.

"To tell you the truth I'm somewhat nervous but at the same time I'm really excited. I've been on a lot of dangerous missions in Konoha but I feel like this is the first time I've been in a real life or death situation."

"I've been really anxious to test my skills but I was really restricted back home. I'm really glad Naruto-Sama believes in me enough to include me in your mission." Hinata said happily.

"This is going to be very hectic so try to stay focused. Unfortunately you haven't been here for very long so you don't know what we're going up against." Ino informed her.

"Yes I understand. I'm just anxious to prove myself." Hinata said as she became very quiet.

"Listen Hinata I know you talked to Tayuya a lot earlier but I doubt she really took the time to explain everything to you. There are tons of things you need to know about what's going on and I think it's important that you brace yourself for the worst." Ino said cautiously.

Hinata turned towards her in confusion and a bit of fear "What kind of things do you have to tell me about?"

Ino sighed but looked down at her feet "Umm I don't know if I'm the best person to explain everything to you. There are some things that you might want to discuss with Naruto-Sama, but I'll tell you everything else."

"What is it that Naruto has to tell me?" Hinata asked curiously with a hint of dread.

"It's about Konoha, but honestly it would be best if you wait until you get a free moment and ask him about it. It's really complicated and I still don't understand everything perfectly myself. I'm only warning you now because I don't want you left in the dark." Ino explained.

"Oh okay, I think I understand." Hinata said morbidly.

Ino frowned _I wonder how she is going to take the news that her father is leading a conspiracy that's a threat to all of Konoha. I can't even imagine how she's going to feel when Naruto-Sama tells her he's going to kill her father._

_Naruto-Sama is going to be put in a really difficult position but he has to tell her. I wish it didn't have to be like this for both of their sakes but I don't see how he can avoid killing Hirashi._

Ino let those thoughts go as she noticed that Tayuya and Naruto were standing ahead of them waiting.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Tayuya said impatiently as they approached.

"Tayuya you can open the gate now." Naruto said as he waited for them.

Tayuya did as she was told and preformed the necessary hand seals for the rock they were standing in front of to move. Ino watched as the enormous boulder which appeared to be apart of a large cave retract to reveal a staircase.

Naruto walked down into the dark staircase with Tayuya right behind him. Ino motioned for Hinata to walk in front of her and she complied. Ino followed and made sure to turn around and complete the hand signs to close the entrance.

She turned back around to follow the group as the boulder moved back in place covering their exit. Ino walked down the staircase that lead them directly under the enormous rock formation that resembled a small mountain.

They had been relocated to this base for the past couple of weeks and it had already become routine to them. The base itself consisted of several large undergrounds rooms which lead into the caves themselves and then to the valley on the other side.

The caves itself house most of the base since Orochimaru took the time to hollow most of it out to build. It probably seemed like a big deal to Hinata who was eyeing everything with amazement but Ino had seen it all too many times before.

"Ino you should probably take Hinata to our rooms and show her around a little. I'm going to go find Kimimaro." Naruto said.

"Okay, I'll go and get her situated. Then we're going back to the surface for some training." Ino decided.

"Good, I'll see you in an hour or so." Naruto said as he separated paths from them.

Tayuya gave Naruto a quick kiss before he parted then she came to Ino and Hinata.

"Alright let's hurry this up." Tayuya said as she started to lead them down a different hallway.

"Let's just show her the rooms and tell her about most of the people here." Ino suggested knowing that Tayuya would probably waste time with other things.

"Fine we'll do it your way just hurry up we haven't trained in three days and I want to get started already." Tayuya complained.

Ino smiled, "Don't worry I'm going to give both of you a good workout once the tour is done."

* * *

Naruto stormed through the many hallways of the base as walked through the large lobbies. He passed some familiar faces but most of them were enemies. This base housed a lot of test subjects and rouges so it was hard to keep track of everyone.

All the hallways had rooms branching off of them which housed the people but also every hallway led to a giant mess hall which usually had handfuls of people either talking to themselves or training.

Naruto ignored the many people as he decided to check the one place Kimimaro was usually found. He headed back up a series of stairs until he was now above the ground but inside of he caves this time.

He travelled for another five minutes before he found the door that lead to the library of scrolls and jutsu that only Orochimaru was supposed to have access too. He touched the handle to find that the door was unlocked as usual which meant Kimimaro was inside.

Naruto opened the door and walked inside to see a lone candle burning in the distance. He walked over to find a man with long white hair and vibrant green eyes sitting alone at a table reading quietly.

"What are you reading this time?" Naruto asked as if it was a crime.

"It's a book about all known bloodline traits." Kimimaro said as he flipped a page.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Naruto asked as he took a seat at the table.

"I want to know if my health problems could have anything to do with my abilities." He answered as he finally put the book down.

"How have you been feeling?" Naruto asked as he leaned back and looked around.

"I've regained feeling in my arms again but I still can't feel anything besides pain in the rest of my body. I've been vomiting blood as well so I don't think I have much time left." Kimimaro answered surprisingly calm.

"Damnit Kimimaro, at least act like you care if you live of die." Naruto said as he slammed his fist into the table.

Kimimaro smiled at his reaction "You always are so dramatic about everything."

"I don't want to lose another friend." Naruto said sternly as he looked Kimimaro in the eyes.

"The medicine you've been giving me has worked well up until this point. I really can't expect to make a full recovery though the way things have been going." He said as he stared off.

"I'm going to take you to a professional soon okay. I've talked to Jiraiya and we are both ready to blow this place to hell so I came to make sure everything is ready." Naruto said with a certain fire in his eyes.

"Did Tayuya tell you about Ukon and Sakon?" he asked.

"Yeah she just told me not too long ago. What the hell happened to them?" Naruto asked as he leaned on the table with his elbows.

"I believe Juugo killed them but of course I have no proof. Sasuke has been very busy since you left so you should be wary." Kimimaro suggested.

"Is he still here now?" Naruto asked anxiously as he leaned forward.

"Yes, I saw him a few hours ago with Suigetsu, they were talking about someone called Kisame." Kimimaro informed him.

"He's part of Akatsuki, I've run into him before many years ago. He works closely with Sasuke's brother." Naruto said as he tried to find the connection.

"I've noticed something odd lately as well." Kimimaro thought out loud with a pensive look on his face.

"What is it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I haven't seen Karin around in days. It's unlike her to be away from Sasuke unless they are required to for missions of if Karin is scouting for Sasuke." Kimimaro said.

"Do you think she's trying to scout us out?" Naruto suggested.

"It is possible, Sasuke tried to before but remember he realized he couldn't. It would make sense to have Karin spy on us with her sensing abilities." Kimimaro thought out loud.

"This could be a problem. Listen I need you to get Kin ready and prepare for the assault but I also have another person I want to join your team. Her name is Hinata, she's a Leaf jounin with the Byakugan which should prove useful." Naruto told him.

"I have all the battle strategies and parameters completed in my head so just send her to my room and I'll go over it with her." Kimimaro said.

"Good, remember I'll give you guys the signal when the fighting starts. I want to say we have time to prepare more but I think this could all go down any moment now so I want you to be ready." Naruto said as he stood up.

"Understood." Kimimaro answered simply.

"And Kimimaro, try to stay alive please, it's just one more fight before we can try to find you some real help." Naruto pleaded.

Kimimaro smiled at him "You've already done so much for me, if you can really help me than I owe you my life Naruto."

Naruto gave Kimimaro a fox like grin as he stood in the doorway, "Ha ha, there's no reason to be so dramatic, I'm just doing what a good friend should."

* * *

Ino stood outside in the dense forest the surrounded the base. She was standing next to one of the outdoor arenas with her arms crossed under her chest and her eyes glued to the battle in front of her.

She smiled as she watched Hinata and Tayuya fight, _Wow I'm really impressed. I don't think either of us expected Hinata to handle herself so well. I guess Naruto-Sama really did choose her for a reason._

_I can tell Tayuya's pissed, she was talking so much shit earlier but Hinata is really making her eat her words now. Hopefully Tayuya doesn't over do it simply to prove a point though._

Ino frowned as she watched Tayuya fly backwards across the clearing as Hinata kicked her directly in the chin as hard as she could. Tayuya was lifted off the ground and went gliding lifelessly at least twenty meters back.

_Oh great_, Ino thought in dismay.

Tayuya remained airborne for a few seconds before back flipping and landing on her feet. She slid across the dirt with her knees bent and her right palm against the ground in an attempt to stop herself.

She instantly took off like an Olympic sprinter towards Hinata and made a single hand seal.

**Kagebunshin no Jutsu **

In a quick puff of thick white smoke another Tayuya appeared running right near the original. Ino's frown grew even larger as she noticed Tayuya's curse seal expanding over ever inch of her skin.

The Tayuya with the active seal grabbed the clone by the back of the shirt with both arms and spun around rapidly before launching her like a rocket towards Hinata who was standing her ground.

The clone soared over the ground at twice the speed Tayuya was running at as she performed a series of hand signs. Hinata got into a defensive stance as she kept her eyes glued on the clone.

She bent her knees slightly and held her arms extended as her active Byakugan kept tabs on both redheads. The clone zoned in at Hinata and drew in a long deep breath.

**Goukakyuu no Jutsu**

Fire erupted from Tayuya's mouth and instantly engulfed Hinata's body. Ino was tempted to jump in and interfere but she stopped herself. She watched intensely as the flames covered everything in the area before the clone dissolved in smoke.

Ino smiled proudly as she watched the flames die out slowly revealing nothing but a mount of freshly moved dirt. A few seconds later the dirt exploded as Hinata jumped out of the ground and landed on her feet coughing a little as she wiped the earth off of her body. Tayuya didn't wait for her to recover and rushed at her throwing a hard jab towards her face. Hinata quickly leaned back and jumped into a fighting stance barely dodging the attack.

Hinata struck like lighting sending two well placed kicks to Tayuya's mid section and moved in for a hard palm to the face. Tayuya took the full force of the first two blows but managed to narrowly escape the last. She ignored the pain in her side and immediately threw a chakra infused punch at Hinata's head. Hinata elbowed Tayuya in the side of the head before the punch connected and quickly attacked her with her gentle fist technique striking her precisely and swiftly.

Tayuya took a long series of blows but somewhere during the attacked managed to make the seal to create another shadow clone. The clone appeared right next to her and slammed her foot into Hinata' side sending her flying sideways before she hit the ground roughly.

Ino stood at attention carefully taking notes on everything she saw, _Okay it's clear that Hinata's taijutsu is more advanced that Tayuya's but Tayuya she never was very graceful. Tayuya's fighting style relies on brute force and ranged jutsus rather than complex fighting stances._

_Since Hinata's gentle fist style is too dangerous Tayuya's doing what she does best and staying far back so she can just launch jutsu after jutsu. With her curse seal she has enough chakra to rely on that strategy in most battles but Hinata has a very good defensive strategy going as well. She got careless rushing in like that a moment ago and would have taken a beating if she didn't manage to create that clone.  
_

Ino watched Tayuya slam her palm into the ground.

**Yomi Numa**

Hinata jumped as the ground beneath her turned into mud and the area grew larger into a huge sinkhole. Hinata avoided the original attack but she didn't land far enough away as her feet started to sink.

She fought to get out but only sunk faster until she was in farther than her knees. Tayuya smiled triumphantly as her curse seal receded and she pulled out a highly polished silver flute.

Just as the flute touched her lips it was pulled away from her. Tayuya looked over at Ino with a fierce glare as she pulled back on her flute in an attempt to rip the blondes grip from it.

"Alright you won, don't you think using this isn't needed?" Ino asked as she let go.

Tayuya glared at her but reluctantly tied the flute back to her thigh. Ino turned her attention back to Hinata who was still stuck in the jutsu.

"Can you--" Ino started.

"Yeah I know." Tayuya said as she put her palm back against the ground and the sinkhole spat Hinata back out and she landed on the ground with a thud.

"So what do you think?" Ino asked they watched Hinata get back up to her feet.

"She's stronger than she looks." Tayuya said with a hint of irritation.

"Ha ha, you didn't think you'd actually have to try did you?" Ino teased.

"Hmmph, how come no one warned me about those stupid eyes of hers?" Tayuya complained.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice earlier, did you really think her eyes were like that for no reason?" Ino asked as she turned around and started to walk away.

"I don't know, I didn't think Konoha would have two doujutsu in their village." Tayuya said as she rubbed her sore chin.

"So do you think she's ready?" Ino asked.

"She's as ready as she's going to get. Her taijutsu is fine but she's lacking in the jutsu department." Tayuya said with a yawn.

"She works better with her bloodline trait so naturally she isn't going to focus on launching attacks. She fights close quarters anyway." Ino informed her as she turned around and started to walk towards Hinata.

"Do you think you could beat her in a simple taijutsu contest?" Tayuya asked as the headed towards Hinata.

"It's hard to say our styles vary greatly but I think I would win because I incorporate my lighting chakra in my hand to hand combat so that would give me the advantage." Ino said.

"Hinata get your ass up let's go." Tayuya said as they approached the raven haired girl.

"I'm up already." Hinata said sternly as she gave Tayuya an irritated look.

"Oh so now you're going to give me attitude?" Tayuya said with a smirk as she reached forward and grabbed Hinata by the chin.

Hinata looked at her uncomfortably as Tayuya moved her face closer to Hinata's with a devious smirk on her face. Hinata appeared confused and a little bit intimidated but she didn't move.

"I like you better when you're feisty." Tayuya whispered as she moved her face closer still.

Ino pulled on Tayuya's arm before her lips made contact with the unsuspecting girl. Tayuya shot an annoyed glare at Ino but Ino just ignored it.

"C'mon, we have much more work to do." Ino said as she walked a few feet away and got into a fighting stance.

"Hinata get ready, this time it's my turn." Ino said as she let her lighting chakra leak slowly from her hands.

* * *

Naruto sat on a branch very high up in an enormous tree. He went to the valley between the caves to think as he usually did when he needed peace to process his thoughts. He was high in the canopy of the forest about twenty meters above the ground.

He looked down as he kicked his feet slowly just like a little kid sitting on a ledge.

"So are you sure you have the directions right? I want to make sure you can make it back to this exact spot with no problems." Naruto said to the large toad perched on the branch with him.

"I've got it Naruto, I can head out to Jiraiya and lead him to this area with no problem. I'll tell him to leave now but it's going to take some time since we're going to travel discretely." gamaken answered.

"Alright I'll be waiting for you." Naruto said pleased as he leaned back contently.

Gamaken nodded before he jumped off the branched took off into the forest.

Naruto smiled as he watched his plans finally take life, _this is all really happening. In a matter of time Jiraiya will be close by waiting for the attack and I'll be finishing this whole charade off by killing Sasuke._

_This is all going to be over soon, no more living double lives, no more sleeping with one eye open, no more gritting my teeth as I take orders from the snake bastard. We'll finally be able to live our lives for ourselves now. _

_For once we'll be free. It sounds too good to believe, I don't even remember how it's like to be free from someone's orders. For years I've spent all my time trying plotting Orochimaru's fall and trying to keep up the false life I've been living._

_I don't think I've ever been so excited for anything in my entire life. The moment I break free from Orochimaru is the moment I get my life back again!_

Naruto smiled happily as he adjusted himself on the branch moving closer to the base of the tree and sat with his back against the trunk. He put both of his feet on the branch and kept his knees bent as he rested his head against the soft bark and relaxed.

It was always so peaceful out here that he sometimes wished he could stay there forever but something always managed to interrupt him. Naruto stared lazily at the sky before he looked down in front of him.

His smile turned into a frown as he let out an exhausted sigh and looked down back at the branch he was sitting on.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked coldly.

The branch shifted slightly as the weight of a second person was added suddenly. Naruto stared at the man that was now standing on the narrow side of the branch facing the wind. He looked up to see the black hair and dark eyes of the man who seemed to be looking for something in the distance.

"I'm surprised you even noticed I was here." Sasuke said with his usual level of emotion as he continued not to face Naruto.

Naruto continued to glare at the side of the man that he considered his sworn enemy "Don't flatter yourself, it's not like you were well hidden."

"What mission did you send that toad on?" Sasuke asked as he scanned the forest.

"What business is it of yours?" Naruto retorted sarcastically as he watched Sasuke's facial expression.

"It doesn't matter anyway..."Sasuke said more to himself than to Naruto.

"Why are you here?" Naruto repeated but with a more noticeable hint of hostility.

"I'm not here to fight with you if that's what you're implying." Sasuke said as he closed his eyes and bent his head over as if deep in thought.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Naruto said mockingly as he looked away.

"I came here to give you a warning." Sasuke said in a calm voice.

This caught Naruto's attention and he spun around as soon as he heard this "What kind of warning?" he asked skeptically.

"I've grown tired of this place and it's become apparent that Orochimaru has nothing more to teach me so I'm leaving." Sasuke declared.

"What?!" Naruto asked in disbelief as he almost jumped to his feet.

"I came here to warn you not to interfere with my plans. For whatever reason you took it upon yourself to stop me from coming here and failed so why you're even here now is beyond me." Sasuke said as he re-opened his eyes slowly with his Sharingan now active.

Naruto didn't say anything but just looked down into his lap pensively as he took in Sasuke's words.

"I've allowed you to live thus far because you've become quite powerful over the years and have provided as a measure of my skill but you no longer have any use to me so I won't hesitate to kill you after today." Sasuke informed him casually.

"What makes you think I couldn't just kill you?" Naruto said as he looked back up at Sasuke with an intense hatred in his eyes.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto for the first time since they started talking and almost smiled "You loathe me don't you? Good. Maybe one day that hate will make you strong but you must realize that no level of hatred or suffering will amount to what I feel in my heart."

"You're so full of shit! What do you have to be anger for? You're stupid brother? Was that really worth throwing away your entire life?" Naruto yelled as his anger got the best of him.

"You don't know anything so just stay out of it! You don't know the pain and suffering I've endured and you have no idea the level of my hatred. You could never understand the power in my abhorrence." Sasuke proclaimed as he got carried away in his words.

He was on the verge of yelling now and was standing with his fist clenched tightly and a look of fury in his eyes.

"My suffering and my pain have made me strong Naruto, but you…you don't know the true meaning of pain. You don't truly understand what it's like to have nothing but hate inside of you" Sasuke declared as his Sharingan started to spin.

"To see everything around you burn down to the ground and everyone you ever cared about murdered before your eyes. You can't see the world like I do because your heart is still pure. You need to let your hatred fuel you, but until that day happens you'll never be as strong as me." Sasuke said he become more into his speech.

"You're blind Sasuke, you always have been! You talk about pain and sacrifices but what have you ever lost that you truly even cared about?" Naruto yelled.

"I've made sacrifices! I've lost more than you can ever realize!" Sasuke yelled as he turned to Naruto.

Naruto stared at him with a confused look on his face as he watched Sasuke's Sharingan slowly morph. His tomoes melted into moving swirl and the swirl started to take form but Sasuke quickly covered his eyes with his hands as if he was in pain.

He took a few steps away before removing his hands and blinking heavily. Naruto watched him carefully as he noticed that his Sharingan was no longer active and his eyes were dark again.

"Just stay out of my way." Sasuke said sternly as he took a few deep breaths so he could calm down. He turned around and took off without saying another word or waiting for a response.

Naruto sat there trying to figure out the odd conversation that just took place. _So now things get complicated. Sasuke is cocky enough to think he can just leave and at the best time imaginable too._

_Ahhh, now I have to rethink things, first I need to figure out when he plans on leaving. It has to be in the next couple of days because there would be no point in warning me if he was going to leave tonight._

_Secondly this has to be some kind of grand exit if he's telling me to stay out of his way. He's not just going to leave, he's probably going to take down Orochimaru in the process. If that's the case than I couldn't have hoped for a better scenario._

_Sasuke's little fight will be the perfect distraction for sneaking Jiraiya in here and setting up for our assault. Okay first thing I need to do is figure out a counter attack against Sasuke and his crew. _

_The best thing I could possibly do is find a way to cut them off so they aren't united. Sasuke and Karin work closely while Suigetsu and Juugo work together. Since Sasuke is going to want to take Orochimaru down by himself I need to find Karin because she will most likely be in charge of the other two._

_What if Kimimaro was right and she's been missing all this time because she's already up to something? She has been acting as Sasuke's right hand this entire time so that's very likely. If Sasuke took the time to come and warn me he could have already assumed I'm going to be a problem and sent Karin to watch us._

_Okay, I don't know what's going on but we need to find Karin. _Naruto thought as he stood up and jumped off the branch.

_I don't know what's happing but I feel like we're running out of time._

* * *

Naruto stormed through the hallways of the base before he reached his room. He opened the door to find Hinata, Ino and Tayuya laying around talking amongst themselves. From the looks of it they just recently took a shower and all were in a new set of clothes.

Hinata looked like she was giving some spare clothes between Tayuya and Ino which consisted of low cut black Capri pants and a cut dark blue long sleeve shirt.

"Ino have you guys seen anyone from Sasuke's team lately?" Naruto asked as he looked around the group.

"No, actually I haven't seen them since we've gotten back. I didn't think about it before but that's really odd." Ino thought out loud.

"Shit! Alright Tayuya and Ino, go tell Kimimaro and Kin to get ready and try to keep tabs on Sasuke's team. I want to know where they all are now!" Naruto ordered.

"We're on it." Tayuya said as she jumped to her feet and took off.

"I'll send you a status report once we find something out." Ino said as she jumped past Naruto right after Tayuya.

Naruto smiled as he watched them leave "Alright, that settles that but there's one more thing."

"What is it?" Hinata asked confused.

"I have any important job just for you Hinata." Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and lead her out the door.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she trailed behind him while he stormed his way through the building.

"We need to find someone that is very good at hiding. She's a sentinel type so she's good at scouting and has chakra sensing abilities. I need you to find her outside of her sensing range." Naruto explained.

"Do you have an idea where she is?" Hinata asked.

"She could be anywhere but I think we should look around Sasuke's camp first." Naruto said.

"Right, I understand now." Hinata said as she focused and activated her Byakugan.

"You can see through walls right?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I can see in every direction and focus in for up to a hundred meters." Hinata said as she looked around.

"Look for someone that is oddly placed or is hiding somewhere out of sight. Most the ninja here are very active and stay in groups so look for someone that is isolated in a strange location." Naruto instructed as he lead them around the base.

"Why, do you think someone is spying on you?" Hinata asked as she continued to look around.

"It's happened in the past, Sasuke likes to keep tabs on us from time to time for some reason. I think he knows we're a threat but he isn't sure just how dangerous we are so he sends people to get information." Naruto explained.

"How did you catch her last time?" Hinata asked.

"Tayuya ran into her completely by accident during one of her jutsus. At one point Sasuke had her watching all of our training sessions." Naruto explained.

"I think I see something." Hinata said as she squinted.

"Where?! Which direction?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"Over there, I can see some people over through those walls" Hinata said as she pointed.

Naruto looked over towards the room "That's Orochimaru's private quarters, she's probably not in there. What do you see though?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.

"Someone is lying down, they're chakra coils are very weak and they appear to be barely alive." Hinata said as she focused harder.

"There's someone in there with him, they seem to be in the middle of some kind of procedure." Hinata concluded.

"Do you see anything else suspicious around here?" Naruto asked.

"No, wait I'm starting to see something. There's a body hidden in a room over there" Hinata said as she pointed towards her right.

"A body?" Naruto asked confused.

"The person is dead and the corpse looks like it was stuffed in this tight space." Hinata explained as she looked harder.

"Okay let's go take a closer look, it could be more of our allies." Naruto thought out loud in frustration.

Naruto walked with Hinata as she described where the corpse was. As he walked he tried to keep positive but the last thing he wanted to find was another dead comrade. He was tired of seeing good people die and he could feel himself on the verge of snapping.

He had become so use to watching friends fall in the head of battle but still after all these years in Oto he took it just as hard. It seemed even worse now because these were people following him.

They were being slaughtered under his leadership and there was nothing he could do about it without causing an all out war. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he reached the door that would reveal the identity of the body.

_Okay just remain calm, it won't help to lose your temper now and you know what Jiraiya just told you. No one else is going to suffer soon, and more importantly you're going to make Sasuke pay for all the lives he's taken._

_From this point there will be retribution and I won't stop until I've avenged every one of my comrades._

Naruto pushed open the door and Hinata walked into the room. He walked in after her and looked around. He looked around perplexed as he realized it was juugo's room. As he looked around Hinata walked over towards the closet and opened the door.

She gasped as the body fell out and hit the ground with a soft thud. Naruto walked over to the corpse apprehensively and crouched down to it turned it over quickly. Hinata cringed at the sight of the rotting flesh of the body but Naruto just stared at it with very wide eyes.

"Who is it?" Hinata asked as she covered her mouth with her hand in disgust as the stench of the corpse became stronger.

Naruto stood back up looking down at the body, "This is Karin." he said calmly as he examined the examined the large gash over her throat.

"Then what does that mean if this is the person we're looking for?" Hinata asked confused as she looked back at the dead girl.

Naruto sighed apathetically "It means things might go to hell sooner than I thought."

**A/N:** And so things start to get serious. This was a very busy chapter but with good reason, there are a lot of different things going on and you'll see how they all tie together soon. Naruto has shown more of his leadership skills but you're only going to be seeing more of that as this story progresses, we'll see him make mistakes and learn from them over time. Hope everyone enjoyed this Chapter, Thanks for Reading and Don't Forget to Review. Peace.


	9. Like Toy Soldiers

**A/N**: Here's the latest installment in the critically acclaimed series, or so I'd like to believe. Anyway enjoy.

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu **

Chapter 9: Like Toy Soldiers

Hinata followed Naruto out of the room as he suddenly started moving with great urgency. They left the dead girl laying in the middle of the bedroom and although it didn't seem to make sense to Hinata, Naruto wasn't too alarmed by it.

She looked around as Naruto took her back the way they came. Hinata scanned the area hoping there would be some sort of answer waiting for her. Suddenly Naruto froze in front of her nearly causing her to run into him.

"What's wrong ?" Hinata asked confused.

"That room over there.." Naruto said as he pointed to the right of them, "How many people do you see in there?" He asked.

Hinata looked over in that direction and concentrated, her eyes lit up in confusion as she found something rather unexpected.

"There's only one person in there…but there was two just a minute ago when we first came this way. If one of them left they managed to travel past this whole section of the building. I can't find a trace of them anywhere" Hinata said as she looked around slowly.

"Shit! Let's go!" Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and took off in that direction.

"Whose room is that?" Hinata asked as she trailed behind Naruto.

He glanced back at her with a fierce determination in his eyes, "Orochimaru's"

* * *

Tayuya jumped over another table and dashed across the room until she reached a large stone pillar. She stamped a large piece of paper with an elaborate seal on it over the pillar and kept on going. She had been making her rounds along the entire eastern side of the base just as instructed and she was almost finished with her task.

She passed a group of shinobis who were laying lazily on the ground talking amongst themselves.

"Hey bitch where are you going in such a hurry?" One of them yelled out as she took off into the distance.

A sadistic smirk came upon her lips as she ignored them, most of the people on this side of the building hated her and Naruto so it was best that she finished her job and kept going before they got suspicious.

It had been such a long time since Tayuya had felt this feeling, this anxiousness and undeniable bloodlust. Her adrenaline was pumping wildly into her veins and the excitement of the scenario was making her heart flutter.

Just as she passed over a wide hallway she jumped and planted the final seal on the ceiling and took off at full speed ahead. Things had to be done carefully and if one person were to make a mistake everything would be ruined.

They were all working on burrowed time so the faster things got done the better. She turned a corner sharply and caught a glimpse of a blonde up ahead in skin tight black ninja pants with metal rings down the sides and a very dark purple long sleeve shirt.

The pants hugged her hips tightly and showed off her shapely legs while the top seemed to be even tighter than the pants and almost showcased her breast because of the large V neck.

Tayuya noticed that the every one of the metal loops had a kunai attached to it while her sleeves were holding possibly a hundred long metal needles that were carefully pocked through the fabric as if it was only a design.

"Ino are you ready?" Tayuya said as she approached the blonde.

Ino turned around to pick something up and Tayuya noticed the long knife that was holstered on her lower back horizontally.

"I think so, did you take care of your part?" Ino asked as she stood back up now holding something in her hand.

"Of course I fucking did, did you get my supplies too?" Tayuya said as she got closer to Ino and leaned against the wall of the hallway so she could keep in eye out in both directions of the hallway.

"You packed too much stuff so I got rid of some of the more useless things" Ino said as she took what was in her hand and motioned for Tayuya to hold her hand out in order to take it. Without showing Tayuya what she had she placed it in her want and closed Tayuya's finger for her.

Tayuya looked down as she slowly opened her fingers; a very small frog was sitting in the middle of her palm. The second she opened her hand the frog leaped out and landed on the ground.

Tayuya watched it hop away in confusion, "What the hell?! How did a frog get all the way down here?" she asked no one in particular.

"I don't know but it doesn't belong down here, nothing does. It's still searching for its pond, maybe when all this is over, it will find it again" Ino said as she walked away.

Tayuya's eyes stayed glued to the frog as it leaped around the corner and disappeared " Maybe we'll all find what we're looking for when this is over"

* * *

Hinata continued to follow Naruto as he charged down hallway after hallway. They were rapidly approaching Orochimaru's room but Hinata was afraid of what they would find there.

Everything was happening so fast and she honestly had no clue what to expect. Tayuya and Ino had warned her that there would come a day where they were going to overthrow Orochimaru but she never expected it to happen so fast.

On top of that she had such a vague idea of what the plan was in the first place so she didn't know what her role was in all of it. She knew she was going to be fighting in a group led by someone named Kimimaro but she didn't know when that was actually supposed to start.

As of right now she wasn't sure if they were beginning the assault or were these events other problems that were arising. She looked over at Naruto, he seemed to be on another planet at the moment.

He was dashing forward and the look on his face said that he was oblivious to anything else in the world besides his target. Hinata recognized the fierce look of determination that Naruto always seemed to put on when it was a do or die moment.

Hinata was really curious to see how much he's grown over the years but more importantly she wanted to show him how much she's improved. She knew Naruto had faith in her but she stilled wanted to show him his faith was misguided.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down because the excitement of the moment was getting to her. _No matter what happens I have to stay calm, I can't make any mistakes right now_, she told herself as she returned her focus on following Naruto.

Naruto slowed down as they reached a large set of doors. Hinata activated her Byukagan and peered inside. She could see a lone figure walking towards them.

"Hinata, if things get out of hand I need you to run away from here" Naruto said as he shifted his weight slightly, as if expecting to dive out of the way as soon as the doors opened.

"But why? If you need help I should stay and fight with you!" Hinata argued.

"You don't need to worry about me. This isn't your battle and there's no reason to put you in harms way for something I've started. Just promise me you'll leave if I need you to" Naruto asked as he turned around and looked her in the eyes.

Hinata stared back into his blues eyes and for just a brief second forgot how much Naruto had changed over the years, because no matter how different he seemed, she always saw the same brave little boy she grew up with.

She looked down with a small smile emerging from her lips, she didn't know why but when Naruto looked at her it felt like he was seeing more than just her body, he was piercing her soul.

"Hinata…" Naruto said as he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

She sighed, she didn't want to leave him when he was in danger but she knew there was no way he was going to allow her to stay.

"I promise" She said in a defeated voice.

"Thank You" He whispered to her as he kissed her on the forehead.

She looked back up as the door opened slowly. Naruto quickly moved away from her as if trying to keep the target focused on him. Hinata squinted as a bright light from inside the room made the figure hard to identify.

Hinata watched as her eyes adjusted to the bright burning flames that engulfed the entire inside of the room. The figure calmly walked out and shut the door behind him. Hinata blinked a few times before she actual realize who it was.

"Where's Orochimaru?" Naruto demanded in a voice that Hinata didn't even recognize at first.

"I think you already know the answer to that question" Sasuke said calmly as he walked a little closer.

"Ha, so you actually had the balls to kill that bastard. I'm really surprised you'd do it without the help of your little minions" Naruto mocked.

"I don't think you realize the difference between us Naruto" Sasuke said as he locked eyes with the Jinchuriki.

Hinata watched as Sasuke's Sharingan activated and then the tomoes slowly started to spin and molded into a new pattern. As they moved they formed a complicated series of lines that resembled kaleidoscope type star.

"With these eyes I can crush any opponent, that is the true power of the Uchiha and the reason why you can never reach my level" Sasuke declared with a pompous smirk.

"Who gives a fuck about your stupid eyes, you couldn't beat Orochimaru without using some cheap trick so don't get all cocky about it" Naruto spat back venomously.

"Just what I'd expect to hear from a second rate shinobi like you, there's no way you can comprehend my level of genius because it's so far beyond your grasp." Sasuke said as if he pitied him.

"Fuck you! If you didn't have those eyes to make everything easy for you, you'd have never been able to keep up with me. Thanks to a bloodline trait you've managed to take the easy road your entire life and you have the nerve to talk about being a genius?! You haven't accomplished anything by yourself your entire life!" Naruto shouted in rage.

"Those are big words coming from someone who has lived his entire life in my shadow since the moment we met" Sasuke said with a grin.

Hinata could see that Naruto was getting more enraged by the second and he would most likely lose his cool soon. She looked back at Sasuke and prayed that Naruto wouldn't explode too violently, she was aware of the Kyuubi and in all honestly she never wanted to see Naruto resort to using it's power.

She was surprised when she heard laughter right next to her, she turned around to see Naruto now was laughing merrily as if nothing had happened. He was holding his stomach as if he was about to keel over.

"Ha ha ha ha, okay Sasuke but tell me, how does the great Sasuke sleep at night knowing he had to murder a defenseless girl in order to achieve such power?" Naruto baited with an eerie fox like smirk across his face.

Hinata looked stunned as she looked at rows of almost razor sharp teeth that she was sure he didn't have before. His entire composure had changed so suddenly, he was no longer tense, he was grinning in such a sadistic way that it almost frightened her, she could sense his urge to kill but she knew he wasn't going to attack on her behalf.

"SHUT UP!"

Hinata looked in surprise back at Sasuke how had abruptly lost his cool at that one comment. His face was contorted in an angry scowl and he looked like he was on the verge of exploding.

"Oh I'm sorry, was that a touchy subject?" Naruto mocked as he laughed in Sasuke's face.

"So let me get this straight; you killed one of your own followers just so you can improve your worthless Sharingan. What kind of arrogant bastard are you to think that your eyes are more important that someone's life?" Naruto said in disgust.

"How did you find out?" Sasuke asked in anger.

"We found her body, my people obviously didn't do it and your goons wouldn't turn on each other. Besides, those cuts are clearly your handiwork, by now I've seen how you fight with that sword. No one else leaves cuts like that besides you."

"But more importantly something you told me before just clicked when I saw her body, do you remember what you said to me at the valley of the end? Naruto asked with a sinister smile.

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Those words have stuck with me this entire time, it took me a while to realize that you were trying to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan at the time but it all makes sense now. You were a selfish bastard back then and you're still a selfish bastard now" Naruto said in revulsion.

"You could never understand what I've been forced to do to achieve this power…Karin sacrificed herself so I could ascend beyond my limits because she wanted to help me reach my dream."

"She was the only person that understood me, the only person I cared about, and she died in order to give me these eyes. You live such an ignorant and naïve life, you have no idea what shinobi's are forced to give up in order to reach their destinies" Sasuke said as he reached for his sword.

"You're full of shit, you killed her to reach your own selfish ambitions and now you're going to continue down the same path you've always taken. Don't give me that garbage about your destiny, your never going to get the chance to kill Itachi and then you're going to realize what a sad and meaningless life you've been living" Naruto said as he suddenly got tense again.

"No one is going to get in the way of me killing Itachi!" Sasuke yelled out in rage.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Hinata felt someone grabbing her hand. She looked over to see a shadow clone holding her hand firmly, "C'mon you have to get out of here" he whispered to her.

Without giving her time to react he pulled her as hard as he could into his embrace and immediately grabbed her by the waist, flipping her over his shoulder.

"Sorry, but I can't risk you being stubborn" Naruto said with a smirk before he took off.

Hinata looked back at the real Naruto from over the clones shoulder as he stood before Sasuke, "You're wrong, you're never going to find Itachi because you're not leaving this place alive" he said with a huge grin.

"Ha you really are an idiot, it's impossible for you to match my power. I've left you behind ages ago but it doesn't matter now. I'll destroy anyone that stands up to me, starting with you" Sasuke declared as he ripped out his sword and jumped up.

Hinata could see Sasuke coming down on Naruto with his sword about to strike his head but just before anything else happened they turned a cornered and the scene disappeared. Hinata felt a ping in her heart as she was carried away by the shadow clone.

Naruto was off fighting for his life and she was unable to help. She tried to get free from the clone but he was holding her too tightly.

"Where are we going?" She asked after a few seconds.

"I'm taking you to Kimimaro, it's official now, we're at war.

* * *

After a few minutes Naruto finally put Hinata down and they were running across the base yet again. Hinata was still worried about what was happening with the real Naruto but she tried to keep those thoughts at bay.

Naruto was slowing down so Hinata followed his lead and stood right behind him. He walked up to a closed door and kicked it open completely ripping it off the hinges.

"Sorry guys, there's been a change of plans, we're starting now!" Naruto announced as he walked into the room.

Hinata followed him inside to find a group of people sitting around a long rectangular table. At the head of the table was a man with long white hair and pale green eyes. There were several people standing behind him as well as others that were just scattered around the room, they appeared to be in the middle of a meeting of some sort.

"What happened?" Kimimaro asked without much enthusiasm.

"Orochimaru is dead and I'm fighting Sasuke as we speak. We aren't going to get another chance so we are going to have to go all out now. I already sent out Tayuya and Ino so on their signal operation seed begins." Naruto declared as he stood in the middle of the room.

All eyes were on them as Naruto gave orders to the group. Everyone seemed to be around their age but a few looked several years older and some were a few years younger. The odd thing was that everyone in the room seemed to hanging on Naruto's every word, he had their absolute loyalty.

After a long list of commands that Hinata could not understand Naruto stopped talking and Kimimaro stood up from the table, then instantly everyone started to move out in different directions.

"Kimimaro, this is Hinata, she'll be joining your team for now." Naruto said as Kimimaro walked towards them.

"Very well" He said as he only offered Hinata a brief glance before walking past her, "Let's go" he said sternly as two others joined him.

Hinata looked back at Naruto, he gave her a smile, "Don't worry everything is going to be alright. Give it your best, I'm counting on you" He said before dissolving in a cloud of smoke.

Hinata smiled but quickly turned around to follow her group. Within minutes Hinata yet again she found herself dashing through the halls wildly without a clue as to where she was going. The two men in front of her were whispering amongst themselves but Kimimaro was completely silent.

"Zaku, go inform Kin that she will be leading our backup" Kimimaro ordered.

"Gotcha" Zaku said before splitting up with them at the next fork.

That's when Hinata started to hear a faint melody quietly echoing around them. The sound was being carried from the long spider web of corridors so it seemed to be coming from all directions at once.

It was a soft and peaceful tune but there was something eerie about it as well.

"Where is that music coming from?" Hinata asked the guy running next to her.

"That's Tayuya's lullaby" He answered with a laugh.

The majority of his face was covered she Hinata could not tell if he was serious or not. As she looked away she noticed that she had seen this man before, he was present during the chunnin exams years ago as part of the Oto team.

As they continued to move the music became louder and louder. Hinata was getting an uneasy feeling in her stomach so she turned back over, "Is that some kind of distress signal or something?" She questioned.

"No, that's the warning alert for all of us. Don't be concerned with the music, it's when the music stops that is the important part" he said with a hint of excitement.

Hinata frowned at his answer but decided not to ask any more questions. Kimimaro stopped in front of them so she came to a halt as well. Hinata looked around in confusion, they were in the middle of what appeared to be a training room.

The room was like a very large dome with only one other entrance which was directly in front of them. No one else was around and they seemed to be just waiting for something. After a few moments Zaku returned short of breath but he looked happy so Hinata assumed he completed his task easily.

Everyone was just waiting for something and Hinata couldn't help but feel lost in these settings. She leaned back and decided to wait patiently with them. She relaxed and enjoyed the alluring melody that kept echoing around her.

Just as she thought they were waiting for nothing she noticed Zaku suddenly started laughing.

"What's so funny?" She asked a little irritated that no one was telling her what was going on.

"Do you hear anything?" Zaku asked her with a smirk.

"No, why?" Hinata said confused but then she instantly knew the answer to her question.

Suddenly there was an ear shattering boom that shook the entire base. Hinata reached out to grab something to hold on to as the ground shook violently. Everything in her eye sight seemed to be vibrating and she could hear the sound of ruble caving in the distance.

"Get ready new girl, the funs about to start" Zaku shouted over the explosions as he tried to keep his balance.

Hinata could hear screams of terror in the distance and the sound of people running for their lives. It sounded like all hell had broken lose beyond this room.

"What's the hell is going on?" Hinata shouted back in irritation.

Zaku smiled, "Can't you hear that? The survivors are coming, it's our job to make sure this place is their grave".

* * *

Ino had been leaning back against the wall simply watching Tayuya play her flute. Tayuya was sitting on the ground with her legs folded playing her beloved instrument with complete focus. Ino would never admit it but she was somewhat jealous that Tayuya had talents outside of fighting.

They had both completed their to-do lists when they were greeted with a shadow clone that told them to commence the plan. Tayuya had just finished playing her song and simultaneous all of the large sealed tags she had set up detonated.

They were far away at this point but the explosions were so incredibly loud it didn't seem to matter. Ino listened to the symphony of exploxions that followed one another in rapid succession.

She smiled as she thought about how smart their plan was. While they were safely sitting on their side of the base, Sasuke's men were all being wiped up in a massive cave in because they had destroyed all of the support on that side of the base.

They were literally burying them alive in one large attack while they stationed soldiers at the only escape so even in the event that some were lucky enough to escape, they would only meet their demise at the hands of Kimimaro's team.

Just as the near endless amount of echoing reach it's end Ino could hear Tayuya's malicious laughter as she stood up proudly before her.

"Told you those stupid fucks wouldn't be smart enough to find the tags in time" She boasted as she put her flute away.

"Don't start celebrating too soon, we still have work to do" Ino reminded her as she started to walk off.

"Where are we supposed to go first?" Tayuya asked as she followed Ino.

"We need to be Naruto-Sama's back up in the event that Sasuke' team interferes.

"Karin is already dead so all we have to worry about is the fish boy and the ogre" Tayuya said without concern as she stretched out her back muscles.

"Naruto-Sama told us Orochimaru is dead so we should look out for Kabuto, if he hasn't heard yet it's going to be ugly when he finds out." Ino warned her.

"Well if he didn't know something was going on that explosion must have told him" Tayuya laughed.

"That's why we are waiting here, this is the fastest way to Orochimaru's room. We can't let him make it past us" Ino said as she stopped and put her hand on her hip.

Tayuya smiled as she saw such a fiery look in Ino's eyes, it had been a while since they had to take anything so seriously and this was a welcomed changed.

"Someone's coming" Ino said in a low voice as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

"Well, well look who it is" Tayuya said with a smirk.

"What's going on, have either of you seen Sasuke?" Kabuto asked as he emerged into the room.

"Nope, haven't seen him" Tayuya answered with a sadistic grin.

"I don't trust that little bastard and now someone caused a massive cave-in so it's obvious they are trying to hide something. Move out of my way I need to find Orochimaru-Sama before things get worst" Kabuto said as he started to move between them

Just as he approached them Ino reached down to her thigh and ripped a kunai off of it's metal ring, she flung her arm upwards sending the knife at Kabuto's face. He leaned to the left at the last minute dodging the attack but a nasty cut remained along the right side of his face.

He growled as the blood started to drip from his check and down his neck, "What the hell do you two think you're doing?!" he barked in confusion as he touched the wound.

Ino stepped forward and pulled two more kunai off of the rings so that she had one in each hand.

Kabuto watched her for a second before bursting out in laughter "Ha ha ha you two insects think you can actually beat me huh? Well I should have known Naruto would have something to do with this".

Ino didn't even respond, instead she lunged forward taking a swift jab at his face which he easily avoid. Ino spun whipping the other kunai at his stomach and quickly pivoted to kick him in the face.

The kick connected and he fell back a few feet but he only laughed at them "I'm really going to enjoy this" He said as he gather chakra into his hand. Ino watched as the notorious chakra scalpel formed in front of her.

She had been warned by Naruto about Kabuto's capabilities, that is why she volunteered to go up against him with Tayuya as her back up. Ino knew she was better at close range combat and her speed would give her the advantage over the redhead.

Besides Tayuya had always been better at ranged combat and her long distant attacks would be more useful to Ino in this situation. Ino took a deep breath, she knew that even one well placed jab could mean her becoming incapacitated so every movement needed to be perfect.

She charged forward and let her chakra seep into her kunais, she threw them both and overcharged them with electricity as they left her hand. The resulting charge made a brilliant flash as the weapons headed towards Kabuto.

Kabuto put up his hand to shield his eyes as he ducked out of the way, just as his eyes readjusted to the dim lighting he could see a figure above him. Ino's foot made contact with his face and knocked him off his feet.

She smiled as she waited for him to get up, "Don't under estimate us, you've yet to see us actual fight seriously" she told him.

Kabuto stood up and smiled as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth "I can say the same back to you".

* * *

Naruto jumped backwards as a swarm of Kunai and shuriken collided with the ground next to him. He hit the ground and slide for a second before slamming his palms onto the floor and pushing himself back up into the air.

Sasuke was charging at him with incredible speed, Naruto could see his sword was in the perfect position to slice him in half. Naruto jumped as high as he could and shifted his weight forward so he was still facing Sasuke.

He kicked the ceiling with everything he had and went diving towards Sasuke which caused Sasuke a second of confusion, but that was all it took. Naruto glided past Sasuke's shoulder and grabbed him while planting his feet on the groudn, with his current momentum he spun around rapidly throwing Sasuke's body into the nearby wall.

Naruto smiled as he watched Sasuke hit the wall with enough force to cause it to cave in nearly burying him in ruble. Naruto watched the pieces of the wall scanning for any sort of movement that would alert him of a counter attack.

Suddenly a small piece of the wall caught his eye, before he had the time to react a white electric blade of chakra shot out from beneath the debris and tore through his shoulder. Naruto screamed in pain as he backed away as fast as he could before he was pinned down.

He let out a feral growl as he lost feeling in his whole left shoulder because of the electric charge that was sent through his wound. It was already bleeding pretty badly and he was having a hard time moving his left arm.

Naruto looked over to see Sasuke standing before him with his usual cocky demeanor.

"Don't tell me that little flesh wound crippled you" Sasuke baited as he took a few steps forward.

Naruto glared at him as he bore his jagged teeth towards him. Sasuke didn't seem intimidated by the gesture and only walked closer.

"With these eyes I can easily predict most of your movements, you don't stand a chance against me, just give up and die peacefully" Sasuke told him.

"Ha ha you should know me better than that Sasuke" Naruto said with a loud laugh as he licked his fangs.

Sasuke stopped approaching him and held out his sword towards Naruto aiming it perfectly at his throat "Then at least make this interesting for me" Sasuke told him.

Naruto immediately shot out at him and quickly stirred right dodging Sasuke's katana.

**Kaiten Shuriken**

Four hidden shuriken went flying from Naruto's hand and soared crazily around the room. They were coated in his wind chakra and were spinning at such a high speed that they remained airborne and hovered around Sasuke.

Now Naruto was merely inches away from Sasuke. Sasuke looked at him in surprise at how fast he had just become compared to his speed earlier in the fight. He looked into the dark blue of Naruto's eyes as Naruto put his hands together.

Sasuke quickly started to swing his sword but it was too late. Naruto slammed his palm into Sasuke's chest.

**Reppushou **

An enormous gush of wind abruptly struck Sasuke sending him off his feet and into the air. The pressure from the blow instantly snapped one of his ribs and the air was pushed out of his lungs causing him to grasp for breath.

As he fell he could see the shuriken zooming in on his defenseless body. He spun around while still in the air and flailed his sword managing to deflect one of the attacks. Naruto Watched as Sasuke hit the ground after the remaining three shuriken cut up his mid section.

Naruto felt a feeling of satisfaction as the smug look disappeared from Sasuke's face as he slowly picked himself up. Naruto watched with irritation as Sasuke's cursed seal began to engulf his body.

With one quick movement Sasuke threw his sword directly at Naruto's head. Naruto duck under the sword and pulled out a kunai of his own as he watched Sasuke charge his chidori.

They were both running at each other now, Naruto threw the kunai just as he charged his rasengan and jumped into the air. Sasuke jumped after him and sent a jab at his chest with the chidori.

Naruto twisted his body and avoided the attack but the jab ripped open his side and he lost focus and hit the ground. A crushing kick hit him immediately afterward and sent him skidding across the room.

"You still don't get it do you, with my new sharingan I can see through those obvious attacks. You got lucky a minute ago, I made the mistake of underestimating you. Don't think it will happen again." Sasuke informed him as he made a few hand seals.

**Karyuu Endan **

A large stream of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth and headed towards Naruto. Sasuke let the fire continuously stream out until he was sure he roasted Naruto thoroughly.

As the fire died down he looked over to see there was no body, he quickly spun around just in time to see a punch aimed at his face. He ducked down and countered with a sweeping kick.

Naruto fell to the ground again just as Sasuke raised his hand to charge another chidori. Naruto kicked him in the chest and quickly jumped to his feet. Sasuke fell back but gained his balance rather quickly.

Sasuke walked over to where his sword landed and picked it back up, "This is the end, I'm tired playing games with you. Here's were you die" Sasuke said as he summoned the full power of the curse seal and nearly glided over the floor at speeds even Naruto couldn't imagine and plunged his sword right through Naruto's stomach.

Naruto growled in pain as Sasuke pinned him against the wall. Sasuke grin as he pushed the blade deeper still and relished in the sounds of Naruto's screams of pain. Now he remained their only inches away from Naruto's face enjoying the look of anguish on the blonde.

Naruto looked at him with weak eyes and his head slowly fell downwards so that his chin was against his chest. Sasuke watched the blood seep through Naruto's clothes and the lifeless way his body stood there. Sasuke listened carefully until he heard Naruto stop drawing in breath.

Sasuke started to back away when he heard an echoing laughter that sent a chill down his spine. He looked at Naruto's face, he was still looking downward but now he was laughing hysterically.

Naruto's mouth was open as he breathed in unsteady breaths; he once again licked his incredibly sharp teeth and smiled. Sasuke watched as he slowly looked up and they made eye contact.

There was something about that fox like grin that seem unnatural to Sasuke but that's not what he was concern about. It was the burning red irises that he was staring into that truly frightened him.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but this isn't over yet" Naruto said grinning all the while.

Sasuke reinforced this grip on the handle of his sword and tried to shove it deeper into Naruto but he was stopped. He looked down to see that Naruto had grabbed the blade and was slowly pulling it out.

His entire hand was engulfed in a strange bubbly red chakra that seemed to be protecting him. Sasuke tried to force it in but Naruto was simply stronger. Naruto pulled the blade out and pushed Sasuke back as he freed himself from the wall.

Sasuke watched in horror as his entire body slowly became engulfed in the same red chakra. Naruto stood in front of Sasuke with the biggest shit eating grin he's ever donned.

"Now this is the end, now I'm going to tear you limb from limb and scatter your mutilated body parts all of Oto. You should have never fucked with me in the first place Sasuke, but now you're really going to suffer" Naruto said in an echoing demonic voice as he slowly stepped towards him.

As he walked long chakra tails gradually materialized behind him. Sasuke held his sword up and sliced directly at Naruto's head planning to cut it off in one swift move. Naruto lashed out and caught the blade in his mouth bringing it to a stop with his demonic teeth.

The bubbling chakra had now coated his entire body and a total of five tails had formed, however he remained in a conscious state (just like the three tail transformation, the only difference being that he has five now).

He growled menacingly and sunk his teeth deeper into the blade until there was the sound of a large crack. Sasuke tried desperately to pull it from him but his current strength was simply unimaginable.

Naruto jerked his head back snapping the blade and crushing it into pieces with his teeth, he jumped forward and jerked his head back around spitting out the fragments right into Sasuke's face with great force.

Sasuke screamed in pain as he fell backwards on the ground while the embedded sharp fragments of his sword cut into his face. He covered his face with his hand as he tried to crawl away from Naruto as fast as he could.

"You can't escape now Sasuke, I'm going to pluck those stupid fucking eyes of yours out of your skull and make you eat them" Naruto yelled in a demonic rage as one of his tails whipped out and hit Sasuke, sending him flying into a wall.

Naruto jumped up into the air and dived at Sasuke without giving him even a second to recover. He landed on his body and started savagely punching him as hard as he could. He could hear bones break on impact as his chakra filled punches tenderized Sasuke's body.

Naruto was only pushed back as a giant pair of wings knocked him off of his prey. He was push up into the air but landed on all fours as he dug his claws into the ground. Sasuke struggled to get up but that wasn't enough for Naruto.

Naruto opened his mouth and let out a demonic roar that echoed in the entire base, the ground beneath them started to break and the walls shattered as the sound waves destroyed everything they bounced off of.

Sasuke grabbed his ears to stop the sound form affecting him but his ears were already bleeding profusely. Naruto took off now with Sasuke pre-occupied and slashed out at him with his chakra claws.

The first swing slashed a gash over Sasuke's nose while the second nearly ripped apart his shoulder. Sasuke took off flying above Naruto hoping to avoid the blows but to no avail.

Naruto looked up and growled as his chakra tails struck Sasuke in his wings puncturing them easily and leaving great holes. Naruto raised his hand and the chakra limb extended straight upwards grabbing Sasuke by the throat.

He slammed his body into the ground and then dragged Sasuke closer to himself. Naruto grabbed a wing in each hand and ripped them both off completely leaving Sasuke screaming in excruciating pain as he lay on the floor helpless.

Naruto raised his claw to deliver the final blow when he saw Sasuke made a final handsign.

There was an explosive force and Naruto found himself slammed into a wall. He could barely see as there was suddenly a lot of debris and dust floating around. He pried himself off the wall and stood on all fours again searching the area for Sasuke.

He looked up to find an enormous snake summon standing before him as Sasuke crawled away from behind it.

"KILL HIM MANDA !! KILL HIM NOW!" Sasuke screamed in desperation as he struggle to get away.

The giant snake lunged at Naruto aiming to eat him in a single bite. Naruto kicked off the ground and avoided the attack as Manda ran into the wall destroying it in the process. Manda turned his head and made another bite at Naruto.

Naruto jumped up and slashed upward ripping a huge hole in Manda's jaw. Naruto landed on his head and ran along his back tearing up his body with his claws as they dug into the snake.

Manda shrieked out in pain as he twisted his body rapidly in hopes of knocking Naruto off of his back. Naruto jumped down and charged at Manda's mouth again, Manda opened wide and shot out his venom but Naruto jumped over the acidic spray and landed in his mouth.

All five of his chakra tails spread out and grabbed Manda's jaw so he couldn't close his mouth. Naruto sat in his mouth shaking as he slowly ingested the Kyuubi's chakra. After a moment Naruto closed his mouth and condensed what he took in.

As he did this he lost a bit of his strength and Manda seized the opportunity and slammed his jaw shut. Sasuke watched in relief as he laid across from the battle. He was bleeding heavily and he had exhausted himself completely.

He pulled out a scroll and spread it out in front of him looking over at it carefully. Just when he had relaxed he heard something shaking inside of Manda. He looked over just as a beam of light exploded from the back of Manda's skull until it ripped a huge hole through his head.

The snake fell to the ground dead as steam rose from the incinerated flesh of his head. Naruto crawled out with a bloodthirsty look on his face that only grew worse when he caught sight of Sasuke.

Sasuke reach out and grabbed the scroll but Naruto soared across the room and tackled him and they both went through the wall. Naruto landed on top of Sasuke and started to brutally pound his face in with his new found strength.

Suddenly Sasuke opened his mouth in between punches and a snake flew out yielding a sword. The sword struck Naruto in the chest and carried him across the room as the snake continued to come out of Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto grabbed the blade but it seemed to be stronger than the last one. He hit the ground about a hundred feet away before the snake retracted along with the sword into Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto jumped to his feet to rush back to Sasuke but he saw the Uchiha had already taken out a scroll. Sasuke threw it in the air above him and slammed his palm into it, just as he did so it burnt into flames and turned to ash.

Just as Naruto made it back to Sasuke his body light up in flames and slowly started to turn to ash as well. Naruto stopped and watched him in confusion as the ashes blew away from the wind.

"You son of a bitch! Don't you fucking run away you coward!" Naruto screamed as he reached out to catch the ashes but they slipped between his fingers.

Naruto watched in rage as the ashes disappeared and he was left alone. He screamed in rage as he slammed his fist over and over again into the wall. He was so engulfed by his anger that he hadn't noticed he lost his tailed transformation.

He was now back to normal and his body wasn't as strong as it was before. He stopped as he looked at his own bloody hand that he was probably going to break soon enough if he didn't stop punching the wall. Naruto sighed in defeat and leaned against the wall.

"You can't fucking hide from me Sasuke, I will find you. And when I do you won't get the chance to run. You fucking hear me, I'll fucking rip your arms out before you get the chance you snake bastard!" Naruto screamed as he fell to the ground.

It was dead silent as Naruto looked down into his own hand, a drop of blood from his forehead fell down staining his palm.

"I failed once again" Naruto said to himself in sorrow as he looked around him.

He sigh as he put his head down in shame, "Why do I always fail?"

* * *

Ino hit the ground hard and rolled over as the ground beneath her jumped up violently and formed a spike. She pushed herself up and took her last four kunai, with some of her last strength she sent them at Kabuto just as he charged her again.

He jumped back to avoid the attack but sped up towards her again. Suddenly Ino felt an immense heat over her shoulder and saw a stream of fireballs launched over her shoulder and flew at Kabuto.

He ducked and dived out of the way of the fireballs giving Ino the time to gain her second wind. She pulled out her long knife and went back at him again, she had exhausted herself during this fight and it was hard for her to keep moving.

She moved up to full speed as she went back at Kabuto, he saw her attack coming and swung with his chakra scalpel. His hand gazed her shoulder ripping through her clothing and cutting her.

She rolled out of the way and turned around to sink her blade in his calf but he jumped back. Luckily Tayuya came in and kicked Kabuto in the back of the head as hard as she could.

He nearly fell forward but spun around and launched a kick at Tayuya. She slammed her fist into his stomach and then followed up and with shift headbut. He gasps as his nose broke from the impact.

Kabuto sent a hard jab to Tayuya's stomach and she immediately keel over coughing up blood. Kabuto raised his hand to finish her off but a knife suddenly erupted from his stomach.

Tayuya pulled herself to her feet and just as her cursed seal spread she nearly crushed Kabuto's chin with an uppercut. Ino pulled the knife from his body and he stumbled away on uneasy legs.

He placed his hand over his stomach and slowly started to heal the wound. Ino looked down at Tayuya, "Didn't I tell you not to jump in the way, he's too fast for you to fight this close".

"I wasn't going to sit there and watch him hit you again" Tayuya huffed out as she moved with great difficulty.

"I'm amazed that he's been able to heal himself so many times but he must be running out of chakra at this point. We've made it past most of his cheap tricks so we should be able to end this soon" Ino said as she panted.

"My genjutsus have been too low level to really get him but I have one final trick" Tayuya said as she pulled out her flute.

"Just give me an opening, I have enough chakra for one more attack" Ino said.

She watched as Kabuto completely healed his wound, he looked up at her with a smile as he picked up one of the kunai she had thrown at him earlier.

"Don't tell me that's all you two have?" He mocked as he took a step forward.

Ino moved ahead ready to finish this when she heard Tayuya playing an unfamiliar tune. Suddenly she was standing next to three strange looking demons that opened their mouths to reveal large ghostly worms with teeth that snaked out and floated around the air.

Kabuto suddenly got a worried look on his face as the worms moved out and around in position to strike. Ino smiled when she realized what Tayuya's plan was. She reached for her forearm and took off the remaining needles.

She had been using them heavily during the fight but now she was down to her last 30 or so. She bent her knees and concentrated waiting for the opening Tayuya was going to give her.

Suddenly all the worms struck out, Kabuto jumped up and stabbed one then used the kunai to pull himself over the second but the third had a clear shot at him. As the third worm went to bite his shoulder Ino jumped into the air and charged all the needles with her chakra.

She threw them all at once in a huge cloud of electricity and metal that floated through the air before striking Kabuto just as he dodged the last worm. The electric charge shocked with such a force that he remained immobilized as the jolts caused uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Ino pushed herself to the max and ran as fast as she could, this would be her only chance to end this.

**Chidori **

She pulled her hand back as it was engulf in her chakra before sending it through Kabuto's chest. She heard the familiar sound of pierced flesh and his body stiffened up before she slowly pulled her hand out.

He fell back with a loud thud and for a second everything was quiet. She dropped to her knees as she suddenly became aware of the burning muscles in her legs. She would have passed out right there if Tayuya hadn't grabbed hold of her.

"Good job" Tayuya said with a bright smile.

"You helped too" Ino said in between pants.

"Don't be so fucking modest, I barely did anything, besides I would have never been able to fight him one on one. My only option would have been taking him down with me, you managed to kill him with minimal help" Tayuya said as she pulled Ino's arm over her shoulder and started to carry her away.

"Thanks, but we both know I never would have gotten so strong without you pushing me so hard all these years" Ino said.

"Ha ha stop being such a kiss ass, C'mon let's go get you some help" Tayuya said as she carried the blonde away.

* * *

Hinata tuned out the screams and the sound of metal ripping through flesh as she jumped over another dead body that hit the ground. Soon after the explosions they were completely overrun with enemies and Kimmimaro was forced to activate his curse seal pretty early on. It had been a complete bloodbath at that point but it seemed like they had more to worry about then attacks from the front.

About halfway through the massacre a second wave of people came from behind them completely flanking them. At that point it looked pretty grim considering they were only a small group but that's when re-enforcements came led by a woman named Kin.

With a new wave of soldiers on their side they managed to wipe out the opposition. Even though this had been a one sided fight it was a tiring one. Hinata put her hands up to block a punch from hitting her face and than attacked with her gentle fist.

She sent a quick series of jabs to her opponent's stomach and chest and finished up with a final jab to the throat. The man keeled over immediately and started vomiting up blood uncontrollably before ceasing to breathe altogether and dying in a pool of his own blood.

Hinata back away from the corpse to catch her breath as she watched the fighting settle down, she had taken a fair amount of damage but nothing too serious. Her clothes were badly ripped and burnt and she had some cuts along her legs but besides that she was fine.

She looked over at Kin who was giving orders to a group of guys. The smoke finally seem to the settling, there was no more fighting going on and everyone was slowly leaving. She looked around for Zaku who had been fighting closely with her the entire time.

Hinata frowned as she caught a glimpse of his gauntlets but the arm that the gauntlet was on was without a body. She didn't want to see what happened to the rest of him so she just focused on the groups of moving bodies instead.

"You fought well today"

Hinata looked over to see Kimimaro approaching her.

"Thank you" she said a bit embarrassed for some reason, she still didn't feel comfortable in these surroundings and she was sure she had done something to make herself look bad earlier.

"We need to leave now, Kin says the foundation has been damaged too severely and the entire base is likely to cave in at any moment." Kimimaro informed her as he started to leave.

"What about Naruto?" she asked urgently.

Kimimaro stopped to turned back around "He'll be fine", and with that he left.

Hinata stood there feeling lost again but she decided to follow everyone else to safety because she knew deep down in her heart that nothing bad would happen to Naruto. She got in a group with the man she now knew was Dosu and followed them to the surface.

As they finally emerged from the base she was greeted with heavy rainfall. People were gathering under trees to avoid getting soaked while others were letting the rain wash away the blood from their bodies.

She scanned the crowds for any sign of Naruto but to her dismay she couldn't find him. She let out a sigh as she sat down beneath a great oak tree and relaxed, _there's nothing to worry about Naruto would never lose in a fight no matter how strong the opponent._

_Any moment now he'll come here with a smile on his face and tell everyone the good news because that's just how he is, always making everyone worry for nothing. Soon this will all be over and we can live peacefully and happily together, soon I'll have the life I always wanted._

Hinata closed her eyes as she rested against the tree, she decided she'd take a little nap until Naruto made it back, she knew it wouldn't be too long.

* * *

Tayuya had been carrying Ino through the base for a while now. They had both been looking for Naruto but the base seemed to the empty. They had just left the wreckage which seemed to be where he fought Sasuke but there was no sign of him.

"He couldn't have left through the main entrance because we would have seen him passing us" Ino thought out loud.

"He probably left through the secret middle entrance, the one that leads right into the forest training ground." Tayuya thought out loud.

Tayuya bent her knees and pulled Ino unto her back so she didn't have to walk at all anymore.

"I'm fine, I don't need you to carry me" Ino argued as Tayuya gave her a piggy back ride.

"Shut up" was her only retort as she carried the blonde with ease.

Soon they were inside someone's bedroom where Tayuya opened the closet which revealed a ladder and a ceiling hatch which would lead to the surface. Tayuya climbed the ladder and Ino opened the hatch since her hands were free.

They both made it to the surface as it rained terribly on them. The falling drops of water soon covered their bodies as Tayuya ran to a nearby tree. Ino sighed as her drenched hair stuck to her skin while Tayuya seemed more concerned with finding Naruto.

"Hey"

Tayuya spun around to find Naruto sitting under a tree a few feet away. He wasn't wearing a shirt and his ninja shoes were gone as well. He was resting his hands over his bent knees and his body was covered in minor wounds.

"Master!" Tayuya cried before running over to him.

The rain had soaked his long hair and it was now completely covering his eyes, the only feature of his face that was really visible was the frown on his face.

"What happened ?" Tayuya asked as she got down on her knees to inspect his body more closely.

"Nothing, I'm fine don't worry about it" Naruto said lifelessly as he remained still.

Tayuya traced over his body with her hand stopping at his shoulders were there was a large blood stain but no wound.

"Did you use the Kyuubi?" Tayuya asked as she cupped his cheek.

He smiled guiltily but didn't respond, that's when he noticed something else, "Is Ino okay?" He asked suddenly sounding very scared.

"I'm fine I just over did it a little" Ino lied as she gave Naruto the cutest smile she could muster.

It was obvious he wasn't buying it so she stopped with a sigh, "I might have sprain something and I think I have a fractured bone in my right leg"

Naruto immediately stood up "We should take her to a doctor right now!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell us what happened" Ino said stubbornly.

Naruto sighed and sat back down against the tree, "Sasuke got away" he mumbled pitifully.

"That's it?! That doesn't matter though, the important thing is that we're all safe, right?" Ino said.

"A lot of people died today Ino, and what did we accomplish? Sasuke was the one that killed Orochimaru if anything all we did was fight an unnecessary battle against his rebel army. He still got away and next time he'll be back with even more forces. I'm starting to think it would have been better if we had just sat back quietly and watched Sasuke and his army go" Naruto said as he slammed his back against the tree.

Neither Ino nor Tayuya said anything, they had without a doubt lost a good amount of men but that was unavoidable. There was a brief silence as the only sound was that of the raindrops striking the trees.

"C'mon let's go, everyone is probably waiting for us" Tayuya said as she leaned forward and gave Naruto a quick kiss.

He stood up slowly, obviously in pain all over his body but he tried his best to pretend otherwise. Tayuya got behind him as they all walked towards the front of the base. She was surprised at how many people were waiting for them there.

Everyone started cheering when they saw Naruto approaching and a few started crying. For most of the shinobis like Tayuya, that only knew the rule of Orochimaru, this was an incredible moment in their lives.

As they approached Tayuya noticed something in the corner of her eye. She smiled to herself but turned over to Naruto, "Can you hold Ino for a second?"

"Sure" Naruto said as he leaned forward to take her on his back.

Tayuya traded off and went into the crowd, "Hey find Hinata" Naruto yelled out as he walked slowly behind her but she was already on it.

She had spotted the raven haired girl fast asleep under a tree. Tayuya walked up to her and gave her a light tap on the shoulder with her foot. Hinata opened her eyes sleepily and quickly jumped to her feet when she recognized who it was.

"Tayuya!" She said happily.

"Yea, c'mon Naruto-Sama is here" Tayuya said as she grabbed Hinata's hand and led her through the crowd of people.

Naruto was addressing the group now and everyone seemed really pleased with how things turned out. Tayuya smiled as she saw how much everyone believed in and supported Naruto.

After he gave his little speech they all headed towards the nearest village. Kin's team had raided the vaults before the battle so they had a ridiculous amount of money to split amongst themselves.

The plan at this point was to stay in the small villages and find a way to build one up to a full ninja city. They had talked about this before but it was obvious that no one had ever believed they'd make it to this stage so quickly.

Right now they were going to celebrate, with the money they have they could take everyone to the nearest doctor right away and just relax for a while. They had the rest of their lives to enjoy their freedom, why rush a good thing.

* * *

Naruto sat by a window in the room of a small Inn. It had been a few weeks after they had liberated themselves and things had been really slow. First they had spread the news that Orochimaru was dead and now they were all focusing on recovering and setting up a base.

At this point Ino had pretty much made a full recovery although she was suppose to stay off her leg for a while and almost everyone else was back in top form. For the time being they were trying to take advantage of Orochimaru's old trade merchants and work on getting some sort of property since money wasn't an issue.

Everyone seemed happy and carefree but one thing was really bothering Naruto, _What ever happened to Jiraiya? It has been weeks after I sent that frog, He should have been there by that night at the latest. _

_What could have possibly happened to keep him from making it here in time. It's unlike him to just disappear like this. I've been getting this bad feeling for a while now and I'm afraid something has happened._

Naruto continued to stare aimlessly out the window, it was still raining. It had been raining heavily over the past week or so and it only made things difficult. The base had completely flooded at this point, which hadn't been so bad because at this point they have taken out everything of use.

But there were rumors that the surrounding area might flood soon if things don't get better. There was something so dull about being pent up indoors like this that was driving Naruto crazy, he had been thinking about it more and more and he was starting to think he should head back to Konoha soon.

Now that Orochimaru was gone and he could move freely he didn't see the harm in doing some traveling. He could easily leave Kimmimaro in charge if he had to and take a little vacation. He was starting to miss Tsunade again and although he wouldn't admit it to Tayuya and Ino, he was deeply in love with her.

Naruto sighed as lighting struck in the distance and the rain seemed to fall down even more violently because of it. He heard the door to the room open behind him but he didn't bother to turn around and see who it was.

"Jiraiya's here!" Tayuya declared as she entered the room.

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see a very happy Tayuya practically skipping towards him. Ever since they had freed themselves Tayuya had been acting so ridiculously cheerful that it had frightened some people. He chuckled at the sight of her carefree and happy expression but she didn't seem to notice.

She ran up to him and smashed her lips violently against his while she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto broke the kiss and tried to get up to leave but she had yet to release him, "Why are you so sad?" She asked as she brushed his check with her hand tenderly.

"I've just had a lot on my mind recently, there's no need to worry, sometimes I feel like the rain depresses me" Naruto said with a smile.

"No, I think it rains every time you're depressed" Tayuya corrected as she gave him another kiss.

"Ha, well I'm going to go see what Jiraiya has to say for himself" Naruto said as he started to walk.

"I'm going back to the hospital to see Hinata, she's been complaining about chest pains and she said she was feeling nauseas so I told her to see the doctor since we're here. Ino's there with her now." Tayuya explained as she finally released Naruto.

"Is she alright, she seemed fine yesterday?" Naruto said confused.

"I think it's nothing, she's probably just feeling sick because she's on her period or something" Tayuya said dismissively

"Okay, well don't wait up for me though, you know how easily Jiraiya can get me distracted." Naruto warned her as he left.

He walked downstairs of the Inn and looked around the lobby for Jiraiya. He saw a man standing in the corner of the lobby who was wearing a dark green rain drenched cloak. Naruto smiled at the sight of Jiraiya and waved towards him.

His hood was up and the shadow of the hood masked his face but Naruto could see the grim expression of his mouth.

"What the hell took you so long?" Naruto said with a smile hoping for some comical excuse as usual.

"I'm sorry I came so late, something came up last minute and I had to see it for myself to believe it. Do you have a minute there's some things I want to discuss with you in private" Jiraiya said in a stoic voice.

"Alright C'mon let's go outside" Naruto said as he led the way.

Naruto walked with Jiraiya back into the cold rain as they walked away from the village and into the forest. The village was small to begin with and with all the shinobi from the base it was definitely crowded now, the safest place to go to get away from unwanted ears was the forest.

After a short walk in the rain Naruto stopped once they have put enough distance between them and the village. Jiraiya pulled up his hood and leaned against a tree while Naruto found a nice stump to sit on.

It was dark outside and the shadow of the trees not only kept them hidden but kept them mostly dry. As they remained under the tree a few drops would escape from the sheet of leaves above them and land on Naruto but at this point he was drench and it was obvious he didn't care.

Jiraiya looked up at the night's cloudy blue sky and then back at Naruto, "How did everything go? It looks like you didn't need me huh?".

Naruto avoided eye contact with him "Sasuke unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan before we even got here and he killed Orochimaru not long after we got back. I launched the assault as planned but Sasuke managed to escape before I could kill him".

"I'm sorry, but at least Orochimaru is out of the picture and now you're aware of his abilities first hand" Jiraiya said.

"He'll be back, this isn't over and that's the part that I hate. I failed to end this terrible cycle I've been caught in and I know we'll fight again. He's a threat to everything I've worked to hard to gain and I'd never forgive myself if he hurt Tayuya, Ino, or Hinata" Naruto confessed.

"You can't expect the worse though, you have to focus on the things at hand anyway. Sasuke is just a distraction right now" Jiraiya told him.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, but at the same time I know he's after his brother and unfortunately his brother is after me. Akatsuki will catch my trail again sooner or later and when that happens I will have Kisame, Itachi, and Sasuke to deal with" Naruto said remorsefully.

"We'll deal with one problem at a time, remember I'm here now so don't think you have to put the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. There are plenty of people willing to lend a hand" Jiraiya said sternly.

"Hmph, I know but I just don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. I think I've done that enough already as it is." Naruto said with a sorrowful smile.

"Was everything okay with the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya asked quickly changing the subject.

"That's what I really wanted to talk to you about. It was different from when I used it before, I had complete control this time for once. Usually when I go beyond three tails I can't even remember what happened but this time I had full control."

"I didn't black out or lose consciousness, in the past even when I went three tail It felt like I was watching my body move on it's own, like I was just a puppet and someone else was pulling my strings." Naruto explained.

"What do you mean 'full control'?" Jiraiya asked.

"It was like the Kyuubi just gave me all it's chakra to use as I pleased, the only thing was that I kept hearing his voice in the back of my head. It kept talking to me constantly giving me little suggestions and urging me to be more violent." Naruto said sounding a bit confused about it himself.

"You Idiot!" Jiraiya yelled as he was hit with a realization.

"What?" Naruto asked even more perplexed.

"Don't you see, the powers you have to make people do things through psychic suggestion, don't you see how this is connected?" Jiraiya said grimly.

Naruto's eyes opened wide as he thought about it.

"Your powers are just an erroneous extension of the Kyuubi's, what's really going on is that it's going to use those powers on you until you're just it's puppet. The only difference is that you're going to think you actually want to do what it tells you."

"At this point his influence over you is too weak to actual control you but sooner or later it's going to grow strong enough to gain control and you aren't even going to be able to tell the difference between your own free will and his dictum" Jiraiya explained.

"But I still have time right? I can still use it's powers until that point before it's too late right?" Naruto asked in fear.

"That shouldn't matter, even now when it has almost no authority over you, it could still trick you into making one bad decision. Just because it's too weak to control you doesn't mean you're immune to it's suggestion" Jiraiya explained.

"My will is stronger right now, there's no way it can control me at it's current level" Naruto said confidently.

"You're playing with your life, don't you think you should be more careful" Jiraiya said in irritation.

"Once Sasuke is dead I'll never have to use it again, you have no need to worry" Naruto said as he looked away.

There was a brief silence before either of them spoke again but Naruto had to ask something, "What happened to you along the way? Why were you so late getting here?"

Jiraiya didn't look directly at Naruto but instead stared off towards the moon, " I got wind of some information along the way and I ran off to make sure it was true because I didn't believe it"

"What happened?" Naruto asked not liking the gloom in Jiraiya's voice.

"Naruto, I'm sorry…." Jiraiya said still not facing Naruto.

"What happened !?!" Naruto said even louder in a demanding voice.

"Tsunade is…. dead" Jiraiya said as his eyes suddenly became watery.

"What?" Naruto asked in shock.

"I'm sorry but I don't know what else to say" Jiraiya said in a choked up voice.

"What?! No! NO!! She can't be dead! I just saw her a month ago, she said everything was fine! What the FUCK are you talking about? You're not serious right?! You can't be!" Naruto pleaded in a desperate panic as he stood up and approached Jiraiya.

Jiraiya finally faced him and the look on his face told Naruto he was telling the truth. Jiraiya looked at Naruto's face in regret. Naruto was now frozen; he was standing staring with a petrified expression on his face as Jiraiya's words resonated within his head.

His eyes for the first time ever showed pure fear. Jiraiya watched painfully as Naruto's body started to tremble and he bowed his head down in shame. He could hear Naruto breathing heavily as if he was in pain.

His fist slowly clenched and his shaking grew worse as he stood there. Jiraiya reached over to touch him but Naruto smacked his hand away. There were tears in his eyes and he was grinding his teeth together as he struggled to process the information he was just given.

"Naruto I-"

"How the fuck could this have fucking happened!?!" Naruto yelled out in rage.

"I don't know but-"

"No! NO!! This wasn't fucking supposed to happen! We were supposed to protect her Jiraiya! What the fuck happened to that?! Huh? We knew those fucking psychopaths were just waiting for her and we fucking did nothing!" Naruto screamed out as loud as he could.

He reached up and grabbed his hair literally pulling it out from his scalp as he fell to his knees crying, "Why did everything have to end this way?!" He screamed as he buried his head in the grass and started punching the ground as hard as he could causing small tremors around him.

"I couldn't save her" Naruto cried desperately to himself as he stared at the ground, "Tsunade, I have failed you yet again. I wasn't there when you needed me and now you're gone" Naruto said in anguish as he pulled at his hair again and his tears leaked faster.

"Why did it have to be this way?! Why couldn't I save you?! WHY!?!" Naruto screamed in sorrow.

Jiraiya watched him in pity, he knew there was nothing he could say to make the situation any better so he just remained silent.

"AAAHHHHGGGGGG!" Naruto screamed as he suddenly stood up and lounged towards Jiraiya.

He slammed his fist through the tree behind Jiraiya and stood still as it fell down making an echoing boom as it hit the ground. Jiraiya looked at Naruto's face, his long wet hair was covering his right eye but the one that was visible truly frightened Jiraiya.

It was his natural blue but it showed such a deep and powerful hatred that he feared what Naruto would do next. Naruto remained still breathing heavily as if he was going to explode at any second.

Jiraiya could see the streams of tears flowing from Naruto's eyes, the sad part was that Naruto probably wasn't even aware that he was crying. He was lost in his own world of despair and regret and now nothing in the real world could reach him.

He looked at Jiraiya with a fire in his eyes that seemed to have taken over his entire body. He spun around violently and punched another tree. Jiraiya watched as it fell down just like the first.

He then hit another and another until there was nothing in his immediate eyesight to attack. Now they were sitting in the middle of a treeless clearing while the fallen oaks surrounded them.

"Does Konoha suspect foul play?" Naruto asked after he finally calmed down enough to accept the truth.

"It was played off as a complication to her old age and her excessive use of the jutsu that made her appear younger. The coroner confirmed this but it wasn't the usual staff under the supervision of Shizune because she was obviously too shaken up to examine the body of her life long friend and mentor" Jiraiya said.

"Did you see the body?" Naruto asked stoically.

Jiraiya paused for a moment, Naruto's voice didn't sound like his own and it was worrying Jiraiya. There was something cold and malevolent about it that gave Jiraiya a bad feeling.

"No, by the time I made it there they were already having the funeral" Jiraiya said remorsefully.

"This all happened so quickly and quietly, did they choose a new Hokage yet?" Naruto asked as he started to walk away.

"Yes, apparently Kakashi had been a huge candidate for a while because there was little fuss about him succeeding Tsunade. I didn't talk to him while I was there because I still hid myself the entire time but I doubt he knows anything about what's going on" Jiraiya said.

Jiraiya watched as Naruto summoned Gamakichi in the newly formed clearing they were in. He sighed as he watched Naruto hop on top of the giant toad, "Where are you going?"

"You should already know the answer to that" Naruto said as looked ahead.

"Here take this" Jiraiya said as he took off his cloak and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto put it on and put the hood up shielding his face from Jiraiya.

"I hope you know you're going to be seen as a missing nin attacking a high council member. Even if you are doing the right thing you'll be seen as the enemy by everyone in the village, innocent people will get in the way and try to stop you" Jiraiya warned him

"Anyway who tries to stop me will be destroyed, I don't care who protects him and I don't care how many witnesses there are. I am going to rip Hirashi's heart out of his chest" Naruto declared.

"You're speaking out of anger, you don't really mean that. They haven't done anything so they don't deserve to be put in harms way" Jiraiya argue.

"You're right they didn't do ANYTHING! They all sat there and pretended to be oblivious while Tsunade was murdered right in front of them. No one investigated her death and no one questioned a thing."

"All those ungrateful fucks just went on with their business while Tsunade gave her life for that village. She died because she was trying to be a great Hokage and protect them, and what's her reward, they fucking forget all about her and let her murder get away"

"TO HELL WITH ALL OF THEM! They are all as guilty as Hirashi for turning a blind eye at an obvious murder! No one would be stupid enough to actual believe that story and you know it!" Naruto yelled out in fury.

"That may be true but you couldn't have expected the common person to challenge what the council says. Most of the clans suspect something but they are being motivated by fear right now, please try to understand" Jiraiya plead.

Naruto didn't say anything for a few moments as he stared blankly into the distance.

"Don't tell the girls I'm gone, I don't want them to be there when it happens." Naruto said sorrowfully.

"It?" Jiraiya asked with a hint of fear.

"If I have to level Konoha in order to avenge Tsunade I won't even do so much as blink. I'm going to show them all the pain they have put me through even if I have to burn Konoha to the ground. I won't forgive them for this, there will be no amount of blood that will make this right" Naruto said as tears started to flow down his cheeks again.

"Naruto please think about this, if you go into Konoha like you are now you probably won't make it out alive. You need to show them the truth so you don't have to take on the entire village" Jiraiya pleaded.

Naruto looked at Jiraiya with the eyes of a scared child. His eyes were wide and teary with an immense amount of fear and pain, "NO! I'm going to show them their worst nightmare, I'm going to show them the Nine Tailed Fox."

* * *

**A/N**: And so the real action begins, it's been such a long time but we finally made it to this point so I'm happy. This is a pretty big moment in this story's progress so I've been dying to get this far for a while, In my head I'm like around chapter twenty-two or so, yet we haven't even made it to chapter ten so I feel like I need to hurry up.

Naruto's pretty emotional right now, and he should be after having his first love being murdered behind his back, pretty harsh stuff. The question now is if he'll go all out when he makes it to Konoha or was that him just blowing off steam. He only used five tails in the fight with Sasuke so what would happen if he pushed himself all the way to nine. Oh and don't think I forgot Suigestsu and Juugo, they were purposely left out of this chapter and since so much was going on no one really bothered to think about them but they have a role in all of this as well.

Anyway hoped everyone liked this chapter, it's the longest I wrote for this story so far. Thanks for Reading and Don't forget to Review.


	10. Till I Collapse

**A/N**: Chapter Ten has finally arrived, rejoice !

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu**

_**Kyuubi Speaking/Thinking**_

Chapter 10: Till I Collapse

Jiraiya watched with saddened eyes as Naruto took off into the night, riding gallantly upon Gamakichi with their backs towards him. Their figures blended into the darkness in the distance until they were completely gone from his sight.

Jiraiya turned around and started to walk back ignoring the excessive rainfall that was slowly soaking his body. He trudged towards the inn where Naruto had been staying so he could escape the rain and think about what had just happened.

He walked into the lobby and sat down on a stool in the corner of the room. He could hear the sounds of people going about their business and the smell of stew filled his nose. It was ironic how everything was so calm yet this village was on the verge of a flood crisis.

He sighed as he thought about what he should do about the situation. Suddenly something hard struck him in the back of the head and it sunk into the skin. He reached up to pull the object from his scalp and held it in front of himself in confusion.

It was a shoe, but not a normal one, the bottom had a plate of metal attached to it with small spikes, which could be uses for additional traction or add additional damage in the event of kicking or stepping on someone.

Jiraiya smiled when he remembered where he had seen something so unnecessarily dangerous.

"You jackass what took you so long?" Tayuya said angrily from the other side of the room as she walked towards him.

Jiraiya offered her a weak smile and held out her shoe. She snatched it from him and slipped it back on but her look of irritation stayed.

"I didn't say anything before because I know Naruto-Sama doesn't like it when I pick fights but I'm not letting this go. You promised you would help us and you have the nerve to show up weeks late!" Tayuya reprimanded with an angry scowl.

"I'm sorry Tayuya, something happened along the way and I panicked. It was irresponsible of me to not send word earlier and I apologize." Jiraiya said quietly as he looked away.

Tayuya watched him in confusion, "What's going on? You never just apologize before, why are you so serious?"

Jiraiya turned around and looked at her, his eyes said everything she needed to her.

"Where's Naruto-Sama?" She asked in a panic.

"Don't worry about him right now, he needs his space but I promise everything is going to be fine." Jiraiya said as he looked away.

"What did you tell him? Why the hell did he just leave right now? Jiraiya, fucking tell me!" Tayuya said as she started to get upset.

"The Hokage had been assassinated." Jiraiya said sadly.

"Fuck! You mean the old lady that Naruto-Sama was so close to? Why the hell didn't you tell us too? We can't let him go to Konoha by himself!" Tayuya argued.

"I know but chasing after him right now would be too risky, he can't come to terms with the fact that Tsunade died under our watch. There is no way in hell he will be able to forgive himself if something happens to you guys too." Jiraiya reminded her.

"That's not a good enough excuse, he can't possibly think he can take on an entire village by himself. I know the situation all too well, no one is going to believe him and no one is going to help him." Tayuya said as her state of panic seemed to elevate.

"Calm down Tayuya, just have a little more faith, we're going to go after him just not right now." Jiraiya assured her.

"Why would he do something like this? Why would he run away and leave us here without saying a single thing to us? You knew damn well that telling him about Tsunade would lead to this, why didn't you wait until a better time?" Tayuya asked angrily.

"He was going to find out sooner or later, he would have been more upset if he knew I hid it from him. Naruto has some trust issues as it is, I didn't want to become one of those people that he doesn't believe in" Jiraiya explained.

"I don't know why you're being so fucking calm about this. No matter what you say you let him charge into Konoha completely enraged and without support. This is your fault! You should have tried to stop him, how could you let him do something so stupid?" Tayuya said as her eyes became watery.

"There's nothing I could have said or done that would have made a difference. The sad thing about my relationship with Naruto is that I can see him making all the same mistakes that I made but in the end there's nothing I can do to stop him. He won't listen just as I didn't listen when I was his age, trying to get in his way is just going to cause him to find a way around me."

"I know that regardless of what I say he is too stubborn or too emotionally involved to let something go. Trust me Tayuya he's not doing this completely out of rage and he hasn't forgotten your feelings either." Jiraiya said as he tried to comfort her.

"Then why?!" Tayuya said as she tried to refrain from crying.

"He knew charging into Konoha was suicide, despite what he said or what he's telling himself he knows this is a fact. He's doing what all proud men do when they have failed the ones they love." Jiraiya said in a daze.

"What is he doing?" Tayuya asked as she regained her cool.

"He's sacrificing himself. He is knowingly and willingly throwing himself into an arena where he knows the odds are against him in near impossible ways, but that's not important to him anymore."

"Self sacrifice is how proud people try to gain forgiveness for unforgivable sins. The greatest thing that motivated Naruto to act so recklessly wasn't just rage, it was guilt. I think he realizes that if Tsunade was taken away from him so easily there is nothing protecting you guys from danger." Jiraiya explained.

"But nothing is going to happen to us, especially with him here with us all the time." Tayuya argued.

"It doesn't matter, he believes he failed Tsunade and he's sure it would be the same for you guys. There's no telling what happened to Tsunade but it's almost safe to say that they knew she was hiding something, they possibly already know about Naruto." Jiraiya thought out loud.

"How could they possibly know about us?" Tayuya questioned.

"Who ever killed her was able to do despite all the security and I doubt it was something that was done on a whim. There had to be months of planning and surveillance involved to isolate her and take her down without a fuss."

"Tsunade was suspicious to begin with so I know she didn't allow just anyone to get close to her. It had to have been someone in the upper echelon of the government and someone who was watching her from a distance."

"If someone is as skilled as to get away with this murder they are skilled enough to have stalked her. I don't want to alarm you guys but in situations like this it's best to prepare for the worst. You guys have been taking it easy because you knew Tsunade would purposely ignore your presence but it's possible someone else could have caught on. Naruto would most likely be the next target considering he's a missing nin who has connections to Tsunade and might become a future threat."

"Unfortunately that's how things like this work, whenever there is a cover up this big going on all loose ends are dealt with accordingly." Jiraiya said.

"That's not a good enough reason for him to do something so stupid." Tayuya said emotionally as she avoided eye contact with Jiraiya.

"I know, but don't be too mad at him. He's dealing with the situation in the only way he knows how to. If Hiashi really controls Konoha like we believe than he probably knows more about us than we do about him. Either way Naruto's gambling with his life right now." Jiraiya said as he stood up from his stool.

"When are we going to save him?" Tayuya asked clearly only focused on that topic.

"Give it a few hours, we'll come in after he's already caused a commotion and distracted everyone. That way it will be safer for you guys because he would have already drawn out the full power of the fox." Jiraiya proposed.

"He can really do that? Actually use the Kyuubi's power all the way to the max?" Tayuya questioned in shock.

"He's already broken past his previous limits and at the state of mind he's in it's completely possible, although I hope I'm wrong. There's no telling the damage that could be done if he gains all nine tails." Jiraiya said.

"I'm going to the hospital to tell Hinata and Ino, Ino's leg is still healing and it would only complicate things." Tayuya said as she started to hurry off.

"Why is Ino in the hospital, I thought you said her leg is almost fully healed?" Jiraiya asked in confusion.

"It is, Hinata is not there visiting Ino, it's the other way around" Tayuya corrected.

"What happened to Hinata?" Jiraiya questioned.

Tayuya stopped walking, she looked back at Jiraiya as if just thinking about the answer to his question irritated her. After a second of her fighting the urge to ignore him she stared back at him angrily and mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Jiraiya asked as he took a step towards her.

Tayuya remained silent for a second but repeated her words bitterly "She's pregnant"

* * *

Naruto stared off into the distance as the harsh winds cut at his face. He sat down on top of Gamakichi's head and kept the hood of his cloak on to keep the rain from obscuring his vision.

He was having a hard time thinking because his mind was heavily clouded with conflicting thoughts. Part of him wanted to just break down and cry but the other part of him wanted to get revenge.

In the end he knew it was impossible to shed enough tears to actual make him feel better so he chose to do the only thing he could do, fight. Everything was spinning around him as he sat on the head of the giant toad barely managing to keep himself calm.

He could barely keep himself from shaking but he couldn't rest until something was done. The wind began to blow harder and the sound of his cloak rustling around him filled his ears. Naruto had been contemplating his own fate as he travelled, hoping he could draw out enough of the Kyuubi's power to ensure his return back to Oto but he was skeptical.

He could hear his own voice speaking to him in the back of his mind but he knew those thoughts didn't belong to him. He had a creeping suspicion and Jiraiya had just confirmed it, he was now hearing the Kyuubi.

It was so odd to hear because it spoke to him as if it was himself. Its unruly chatter continued and continued until it was so loud Naruto could not ignore it anymore.

_**Those fools, those ungrateful bastards! You should show them no mercy, they have mistreated you your entire life and now they dare turn a blind eye to the death of their own Hokage!**_

_**They are a bunch of backstabbing cowards, not fit to live on peacefully while Tsunade is dead. They are below human, they are the true monsters! Out of everyone in Konoha you are the only one that can stand up to those bastards, don't let this opportunity go to waste. Take them by surprise, murder, maim, and pillage, leave nothing standing.**_

_I need more power, I need to harness everything I have for this fight otherwise they will get away with this. __**If anyone can avenge Tsunade you know it's you, if you truly put your mind to it you can gain all the power you need.**_

_**Look deep in your heart, there you will find the motivation needed to ascend your limits. There is a fire your heart, release it unto the earth and watch closely as everything burns beneath your wraith**__. _

_**You deserve that much. You put yourself in harms way for all these years sleeping in the snake's lair so that you could prevent Orochimaru from attacking Konoha again and to stop Sasuke from bring harm to Konoha. You've sacrificed so much and this is the thanks you get? **_

_**You're forced to stand alone in bringing justice, don't forget what you've lost so that others could continue with their meaningless lives. **__How could this have happened? Why didn't anyone challenge such obvious lies?_

_**Because they are cowering bastards, they only look out for themselves, you should know that by now. They would never put themselves in danger for another person, they are all evil, and they all contributed to her death in one way or another.**_

_Those fucking bastards! After everything Konoha has been through in the past years, this is the thanks Tsunade gets for coming back to the village and risking her life to protect everyone!_

_**None of this would have happened if you didn't bring her to the village, you convinced her to have faith in the people of Konoha again and looked what happened. You have to rectify this mistake, you have to make them pay for what they have done to her.**_

_This is all my fault, how could I have been so fucking naïve? People never change. They were all selfish bastards when I was growing up and they still are now. They would sell out their own for such trivial things. They are no better than animals._

_**You would be doing the world a favor by wiping out Konoha, it's a sanctuary of corruption and deceit, truly a blight upon the world. No one would miss it. **__No I don't have the power to do such a thing, I'd only exhaust myself until I died trying._

_**But you can, all the power you need is buried inside you. Just remember Tsunade, remember the touch of her soft plump lips. Remember the bitter taste of sake still on her tongue when you kissed her, the way you enjoyed every nuance of her buxom figure, those wide hips, that firm butt, those large soft breasts.**_

_**You'll never feel the joy of her womanly charm again, you can never relish in the ecstasy of her body or be taken by surprise by her fierce wisdom and sharp wit. Such a unique woman will never walk the face of the earth again, Konoha took her from you.**_

_**Konoha backed her into a corner and made her suffer, they made her experience excruciating pain while she struggled for her life. They tortured her mercilessly and beat her into unconsciousness. **_

_**Konoha raped and ruined her very soul, they brought to her a pain that is so intense that her body lost all feeling. They defiled and mutilated her corpse, can you allow that? Can you allow Konoha to enjoy peace while that angel of a woman suffered a fate worse than hell?**_

Naruto was shaking again. As these words echoed in his head he could visualize such graphic images that he wanted to vomit. He was breathing heavily again and his chest hurt. His heart was pumping wildly as if it would explode soon.

He roared in anger as thick veins appeared along his neck and arms. He knew the Kyuubi was the one talking to him, and he knew he couldn't trust the demon but he didn't care. Everything the Kyuubi had said were things that he considered but didn't want to think too much about.

All those thoughts were really his own, the Kyuubi had just forced him to really think about them. It forced him to look at his own dark side and he could no longer keep his bloodlust in check.

_**Yes. That's the fire you need to avenge her, let it burn, let it consume your body and everything that you touch. Nothing can stop you now, this is your gift and your curse, use it to it's fullest. **_

_**Rain judgment from the sky, burn Konoha to the ground**_**.**

Naruto stood up abruptly, he was now enraged again and he could barely keep himself from trembling. He could feel the Kyuubi's chakra boiling inside of him and it was making his skin crawl.

He looked up into the distance and he could see Konoha in the cusp of his vision. He couldn't help but grin as he watched the spec grow larger and larger. He could feel the demonic chakra seeping throughout his body slowly and he gained the same kind of high that he felt before.

The elevated feeling of invincibility was so intoxicating that he initially lost his train of thought as he glared into the distance. He could hear the Kyuubi continue to speak but he blocked out the annoying rant.

He allowed the Kyuubi to motivate him because he was becoming unsure of himself but now he had no further need to hear him out. He extended his hand and pointed into the distance at what he knew was Konoha.

Naruto spoke with a cocky smile plastered on his face "I'm coming Hiashi, I hope you're ready."

* * *

Neji walked through the corridors of the Hyuuga compound in a hurry as always. Things had been rather hectic lately and now Hiashi had put more and more faith into his nephew.

Neji had been pushing himself to make sure that his uncle's faith in him wasn't ill chosen. He had been taking more and more responsibility with the future of the Hyuuga clan because lately Hiashi had been showing him favor.

In the past few years the Hyuuga have started to rebuild themselves back up to their original dominance in Konoha. Hiashi had again and again spoken of the return to glory of the Hyuuga clan and Neji had been truly inspired by it.

With hard work in the council and countless hours of volunteer work for the several very influential people, Neji had secured a spot in government affairs in the future, however this wasn't Neji's true goal.

What he really wanted was to gain status within the clan and even take over after Hiashi has passed away. It was a very high hope but things had been working out for him recently so he kept hope that his future would be equally as bright. With Hinata's sudden disappearance and Hiashi's lack of interest about it, it seemed like the Hyuuga would need to move on.

Hiashi had been showing such a great interest in Neji's progress that he truly felt like he found a purpose in life. His status of being from the servant house seemed to be meaningless now and he was even placed above some of the royal family members.

Neji walked up to a pair of large doors that led to his destination and opened them slowly. The room was dimly lit and filled with many of Hiashi's personally chosen bodyguards. All he could see was a swarm of Hyuuga quietly standing around with fierce expressions on their faces.

As he opened the door fully and stepped inside the room he could feel all the eyes in the room studying his every movement. As he walked pass the crowds of men they moved aside to allow him through.

In front of him knelling in front of a very short table was Hiashi enjoying a small cup of tea, He seemed to be expecting Neji because he was the only one who didn't look surprised by his arrival.

"Take a seat" Hiashi said without looking at him as he put his cup down on the wooden table.

"Uncle, I'm sorry it took so long, I ran into difficulties making sure I wasn't followed" Neji apologized.

"It's fine, but let's get right to business. Don't think I haven't noticed your hard work and I am proud of your devotion to the clan. I believe if anyone in the younger generation shares my vision it is you Neji. There is someone I want to introduce you to later. After much thought I've decided you are ready to follow in my footsteps and join my organization" Hiashi said as he eyes bore into Neji.

"Organization? What group are you involved in? I haven't heard of any organizations inside Konoha that were noteworthy before." Neji asked confused.

"I can't divulge any more information right now but rest assured there is a bright future for you if you stay by my side" Hiashi told him.

"What about Hinata? It has been weeks since she disappeared, don't you think we should search for her. I will lead the search party personally if you would allow it" Neji offered humbly.

Hiashi cringed at the suggested but then immediately brushed it off "Why are you so concerned about that girl. Her heart was never in aiding the clan, she's proven time and time again that she is no use to us".

"I know uncle, but she is still a Hyuuga and despite her lack of interest in the clan's future I thought it would be wrong to simply forget about her." Neji said with a fierce expression on his face.

"Hhmmp, your dedication continues to impress me but don't waste your thoughts on Hinata. She was a foolish girl and as expected from her, she ran away, I can not say I was surprised by this turn of events"

"If she truly cares about the clan and everything we have done for her than she will come back, otherwise she is better off not getting in our way. She has chosen her path Neji, now chose yours!" Hiashi said as he locked eyes with the raven haired boy.

"I will gladly follow you uncle, please give me the chance to join this organization you speak of" Neji asked respectfully as he bowed his head.

Hiashi smiled as he sipped his tea calmly, "Very well, it shall all begin soon so prepare yourself. There is much you don't know and much you still need to experience"

"Thank you Uncle, I only hope I can be useful in the future of rebuilding Hyuuga" Neji said truthfully.

"Don't worry Neji we will make sure Hyuuga ascends to the top of Konoha. It is only a matter of time before a Hyuuga shall be Hokage and soon Konoha will be ours. But first we need to secure our next generation, that will be your biggest responsibility" Hiashi informed him.

"How can I possibly do that, I am not of the royal branch" Neji said remorsefully.

Hiashi remained quiet for a second as if he was thinking carefully about what he was going to say next, "This organization, it will remove the seal branded on you at birth. I will personally bestow upon you the rank of my son, with your superior genes we can repopulate Hyuuga and with a new strong generation from your creation we can spread our dominance"

Neji remained speechless as he heard these words spoke so seriously to him "Uncle you can't mean that?! Can I really be made your successor?"

"You've proven to me that you are the best choice, Hanabi is still too young and we need a strong man to repopulate us. My generation is by far the largest and we are growing too old to make a difference. I'm leaving the future of the clan in your hands Neji, make me proud" Hiashi said with a smile.

"Yes, uncle. I will proudly dedicate the rest of my life to making our vision a reality" Neji pledged as tears of happiness swelled up from his eyes.

"Good, now go rest. You have a very important day tomorrow" Hiashi said as he continued to sip his tea.

Neji stood up and bowed respectfully before turning around and leaving. He was practically skipping through the corridors because he was so happy about the news. Finally his dream was coming true, he would be able to live the life he felt was denied to him since birth.

He walked absentmindedly with his usual group of subordinates as he entered the left wing of the compound. They were mostly his cousins, all of which were older than him and were talented fighters but his skills were the greatest of the group.

He had developed a close relationship with all of them over the years. They had been very reluctant to follow his orders at first and held a grudge against him but they gradually came to accept him.

Neji smiled as he thought about his future, after so many years in the shadow of the royal branch things were finally looking up.

An echoing boom abruptly brought him out of his happy daze. He looked out in front of him as the ceiling came crashing down under the force of a mysterious figure. Neji watched in horror as he figure slowly descended from the huge hole in the roof.

Neji's heightened senses in this state of panic made the next two seconds feel like an eternity. He stared as the figure fell to the ground in slow motion. All the debris from the roof had fallen with him almost acting like a scattered shield around his body.

He was wearing a dark green cloak that was spreading out because of the force of his fall. The cloak looked liked a great cape as it rustled wildly and fanned out in the midst of the fall. His hood was on so the only thing Neji could make out was his looming fangs.

As the figure's feet grazed the ground Neji got a glimpse of his face because the hood moved slightly. All Neji saw was one red eye, which was gleaming with immeasurable rage and malice.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stood in shock. The figure in front of them had remained still, simply breathing loudly and harshly like an enraged beast. By now everyone had entered a fighting stance and were prepared to engage the stranger but no one had moved or even spoken a word out of fear.

They remained still as the figure continued to stand there struggling to breathe. His head was down low so the only thing they could see was his mouth as he panted for air.

"Hiashi!" The figure gargled out in an almost inaudible demonic voice.

"What?!" One of Neji's men asked in confusion, the uneasiness and fear in his voice was more than evident.

"WHERE IS HIASHI!" The figured roared as he lifted his head and the hood flew back because of the outrageously loud scream which caused the walls themselves to shake.

"Take him down quickly! Don't let him back it past us at all cost!" Neji yelled as he covered his ears and tried to maintain his sense of balance as the floor trembled beneath him.

He watched as all of his men charged at the figure. The figure stood there for a second until the men had surrounded him then before they could land a hit he retaliated.

His cloak flow off as nine red bubbling chakra tails whipped out like spears and impaled each and every one of them. Neji watched in horror as he took in the sight of the enemy. He was about the same height as him but he was clothed in robes that Neji could tell belonged to an Oto noble.

He had long almost shaggy spiky blonde hair that reached his shoulders and there were strange marks on his face, almost resembling whiskers. His body was covered in some sort of odd red chakra that was controlled by him as if it was an extension of his own body.

It was obvious that everything below his neck had already been covered with this chakra but now that he threw away his cloak his face was being masked with it as well. He stared back at Neji bearing his fangs menacingly as all eight of Neji's men lifelessly remained impaled with his tails.

His eyes locked with Neji's and then the last tail shot out like a snake about to sink it's fangs into it's prey. Neji jumped as the tail struck the ground beneath him, ripping up the floor boards in the process.

Neji landed and jumped back hoping he could think of a strategy against such an opponent. The figure started to walk slowly towards him, he suddenly stopped walking and flicked his tails at Neji, one after another sending the dead bodies of his allies flying at him like stones.

Neji ducked and dived out of the way as the bodies struck the wall with enough force to send them through it completely. He was already overfilled with anger and he couldn't bear to see the corpses of his family thrown around so disrespectfully like rag dolls.

He looked back at the terrifying figure that was slowly advancing towards him, he could feel the enormous amount of bloodlust it seemed to emit and it scared him

_I can't let this thing get anywhere Uncle but I can not defeat it with my own power. If I don't do anything soon it will kill me and continue on it's rampage. No matter what Uncle has to be alert, If I move now I can make it through the shortcut to the other side of the building. _

_I have to save him, even if I die in the process, Hyuuga must be survive, we must prevail._

Neji suddenly dashed as fast as he could towards the wall where the beast had ripped huge holes and dived through one the hole and rolled across the floor. He knew the layout of the compound better than anyone else.

He could make it to Hiashi in no time if he hurried and they could get him to safety and launch a counter attack at the same time.

_No matter what Hyuuga must not fall!_

* * *

Naruto stood there and watched in amusement as Neji fled with everything he had. He looked at the wall in which Neji escaped through.

_I can't be sure where he is going, he could be going to Hiashi or he could be trying to lead me away from the Hiashi, possibly into a trap even. It would be stupid to chase after him on his own turf, but I still need to find him._

_**It doesn't matter, if you can't find him quickly than just do a thorough search. Just to make sure you should destroy everything you see. Hiashi wouldn't run while you demolished his compound and killed his clan, draw him near you with a bloodbath!**_

Naruto closed his eyes as he started to walk hoping he could push aside the voice in his head. He re-opened his eyes as the voice died down again. He could feel the rage resurfacing again and it made it hard for him to remain calm.

He looked over at the bodies of the men he killed so easily, _**It's not enough, those lives don't accumulate to Tsunade. More you need to kill More!**_

Naruto grabbed his head in confusion as the undying fury returned in it's fullest form. He roared again as he jumped on all fours and took off along the building. He could smell people around him, they were everywhere.

He was going to hunt them down one by one until he found Hiashi, there wasn't any other way. He abruptly jumped through the wall of the hallway he was in. In a sea of debris he emerged into a room filled with screaming people.

There was a massive panic, people were screaming and running for their lives as Naruto dived into the room hunger for blood. His tails took off in every directions ripping through the room and countless bodies.

Naruto held out his hand and a claw composed of boiling red chakra shot out across the room and sank deep into a man's chest. He was slammed into the wall as the claws bored deep into his flesh burning and cutting him as he screamed desperately.

Naruto watched as his tails lashed around like swords cutting the panicking people to shreds as they pitifully tried to escape. A woman tripped in front of him and his tail shot out at her aiming directly for her skull.

Suddenly a man jumped in front of her and spread out his body over her protecting her with his life. The tail pierced his chest right in his right lung before it slowly retracted. He stood there for a few more seconds shaking weakly as blood seeped into his clothing and he dropped to his knees.

Naruto remained still as he looked around the room, everything that his eyes took in was destroyed only seconds later by his tails. It seemed like they had a mind of their own but at the same time he could control them if he really wanted to.

His eyes lazily made contact with the scene in front of him. The man was laying on the ground as his very life poured out of him in the form of blood.

The woman was now crying and screaming belligerently as she buried her face into the chest of the dying man. She suddenly stood up enraged and charged towards Naruto now forgetting her previous fear.

Naruto's eyes locked in with hers as she approached him. She was screaming wildly and her tears were floating from her cheeks into the air as she charged with everything she had.

Naruto watched her without much thought still completely blinded by his rage. He flashed his sharp teeth at her before he turned his head around. Just as she took another step his tail which was laying low on the floor snaked out across the room and shot upwards striking her in the throat and ripping through the top of her skull.

Naruto watched in amusement as his tails cut down person after person like a hot knife through butter. He stopped and stood up as the sound of excessive screaming finally ceased. Before him was a sea of dark crimson blood and mutilated bodies.

He looked around at the people, there were men, women and even children lying dead before him. Most of the people were maimed beyond recognition, a good amount of the bodies had holes right through their faces while the other half had been cut into bits and scattered around the room like confetti.

The stench of blood filled Naruto's nostrils as he took in the sigh of limbless and disfigured corpses all around him. As he looked around he caught the glimpse of a woman who died with her child in her arms. Her cold lifeless white eyes were staring back at Naruto while her mouth was open as if she died screaming.

Her body was cut in half horizontally and she had a large hole through her chest like many of the other corpses. It was the way that her tears had stained the cheeks of her rigid face that caused this image to burn into his memory.

Naruto looked away as he charged forward. The feeling of pain hadn't gone away yet, no matter what happened to him he couldn't stop until that awful pain disappeared. He could feel the chakra around him swarming into his mouth and nostrils.

He tried to ignore it but he was coated in the demonic chakra and there was no escaping it. He dropped down on all fours and opened his mouth as the chakra rushed inside. He closed his mouth when he felt like he was on the verge of exploding.

He opened his mouth and screamed in agony but a sound didn't come out. A rushing beam of burning light erupted as his jaw spread so wide Naruto feared it was going to dislocate.

The light engulfed everything inside his field of view and he could feel the ground rumbling. The sound of incineration filled his ears and after the light finally stopped he could see he had destroyed more than half of the building in the process.

Everything in front of him had turned to ash and rubble. He took off through the debris ignoring the half incinerated bodies that littered his path. He ignored the smell of burning flesh and fresh blood as he continued into the still intact side of the building.

"There he is, GET HIM!" Someone yelled as Naruto walked through a hole that counted for one whole side of a banquet hall.

He dived into the room without a second thought as the smell of people filled his nostrils and the sight of many new targets greeted him. A group of four men quickly surrounded him and all charged him at one.

Naruto jumped up into the air and spun in a ball as his tails slashed at the men spending blood splattering everywhere. Naruto landed on his feet and he jumped forward completely ignoring his original attackers and charging into the heart of the group.

People were already running for their lives but they weren't fast enough. Naruto jumped into a spinning kick and impacted someone's neck snapping it in half, while this tails launched out in all directions impaling people from all sides.

He landed as his tails retracted and waved around him as if being pushed by the wind. Naruto looked down at the man who's neck he snapped, he was dressed in a dirty white smock and it was obvious he wasn't a trained ninja but probably more likely a simple cook.

Naruto snarled in irritation and turned back around to see the men that originally confronted him. They were all heavily injured and were bleeding all over the place. One of them limped towards Naruto with a determined expression on his face.

Before he could react four of Naruto's tail's dug themselves deep into his chest. He froze as he started to cough up blood and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

The tails ripped through his body from four different angles tearing his torso apart and splashing blood all over the place. The remaining ninja's had already started to flee but it was too late.

Naruto's remaining tails extended towards them and ripped them apart ending their lives within a fraction of a second. Naruto turned around and charged forward through the wall ripping through everything in his path.

_**Your wasting time, Hiashi is escaping! Don't let him escape, Don't let Tsunade die in vain. You have to bring her soul peace, this is what she would have wanted. She would want you to stop Hiashi at all cost! **_

Naruto stormed through another room running wildly as his tails fanned out and diced more helpless people into pieces. At this point Naruto was just tearing through the compound while his tails took out everything alive that he passed.

He could smell a large group of people moving around frantically in front of him and he recalled a scent, it belongs to one of the Hyuuga which had escaped his grasp, Neji. In the heat of the moment he dived through the wall bringing it crashing down into bits as he landed into the room on all fours and roared in rage.

"So we meet again Naruto" Hiashi said as he stood back watching Naruto from the opposite side of the room.

"HIASHI, I'VE COME FOR YOUR LIFE !" Naruto screamed as he stood up and his eyes grew larger with a burning ferocity that caused the Hyuuga to shiver involuntarily.

"Don't get ahead of yourself boy, for the crime of spilling Hyuuga blood you will be execute here by my men. This ends now, DESTROY HIM!" Hiashi ordered as the swarm of men descended on Naruto.

Naruto looked around him as people dived at him from above while more charged him on ground level. He jumped into the air and spun around as hard as he could as his tails became stiff and acted as blades spinning around at amazing speeds and cutting everyone around him.

Naruto landed on the ground as dead bodies fell to the ground one after another and several injured men struggled to remain standing. Naruto charged forward and jumped up landing on the chest of one man.

His claws dug deep into his chest and pierced his lungs, Naruto kicked off of him as blood sprayed everywhere. He soared over another man and grabbed him as he glided through the air.

His claw ripped through his shoulder and Naruto landed on the ground as he lifted the body and slammed it into the ground so hard that the body burst into a bloody pulp. Naruto's tail's started spinning again and Naruto charged through the sea of soldiers in front of him.

In a fit of rage Naruto tore through the crowds slashing and wildly attacking the sea of bodies letting blood paint everything in sight. Naruto lashed out ripping a man's jaw off and spinning around as his tails glided through the crowd decapitating and dismembering countless men.

"Kill him! Someone slow him down, we have to hold him until reinforcements arrive!" Hiashi yelled out as he started to look for an exit.

Just as Naruto neared Hiashi someone dived into the way. Naruto dived at the body and slammed his foot into the ninja sending him flying into the ground breaking several bones on impact.

Naruto landed on the body with incredible force rupturing several of the shinobi's internal organs in the process. Naruto looked around as he once again was surrounded by enemies.

There were twenty five of them now closing in on him quickly all of them with their Byakugans activated and prepared to give Naruto the full force of their gentle fist. Naruto moved at the man standing directly in front of him.

He slammed his fist into his skill crushing it under the forced as his tails simultaneous attacked the remaining group. All of them jumped into the air dodging the tails and jumped in to attack.

Naruto spun around rapidly sending bone shattering kicks in all directions as his tails went berserk slicing immobilizing wounds on his enemies. He ravaged the ninja's that were still standing with lighting fast blows with his claws, tearing their faces apart and ripping through their chest with his fist.

Naruto immediately dived towards Hiashi with explosive forced grabbed him violently and slamming him into the ground. Naruto remained on top of him keeping him pinned to the ground as his tails stood alerted before coming crashing down on Hiashi.

He screamed in pain as four tails pierced him brutally through both his wrist and his ankles.

"And now you die you piece of shit!" Naruto growled in Hiashi's ear as he raised his hand and prepared for the final blow.

"You fool, do you honestly think you can get away with this. You've taken too long, Danzo will be here shortly and then you'll have to face all of Konoha including the Hokage. I may die but this place will be your grave as well" Hiashi said smugly.

"I'd like to see them try" Naruto snarled at him as prepared to savor the moment.

"You're the one who took my daughter correct? Even if you managed to escape here she will be your demise. Don't think I was ignorant to your foul presence on my compound in the past. Planted within that foolish girl are the seeds of your own death"

"Whether she wants to or not that girl will be the death of you, even in her defiance she is subjective to my rule" Hiashi said with a smirk.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Naruto questioned in anger as he lowered his fist.

"Don't worry it won't matter soon anyway" Hiashi declared.

Then Naruto could sense the presence of several people entering the area. He looked around to see a huge crowd of what looked like ANBU soldiers led by an old looking man with wrappings covering one side of his face.

"Danzo's here. Now your little fun has come to an end. You were nothing but a failure from the very beginning and now you dare bare your fangs at the hand that fed you for all those years?! You're going to die here like a dog for your insolence" Hiashi said with a laugh.

"I've heard enough from you, now you die!" Naruto yelled as rammed his claws through Hiashi's stomach.

He screamed in pain as Naruto forced his hand through his entire body. Then the tails that pinned the Hyuuga down moved towards the middle of his chest ripping through layers of flesh as they craved a bloody pattern into him while he remained helpless, shrieking in agony.

Naruto stood up now looking down at the deformed chunks of meat that was Hiashi and he felt some relief although now Danzo needed to be taken care of. Naruto spun around just as Danzo's men engulfed on him.

There was no more time to waste Naruto was starting to feel the immense toil the chakra cloak was having on his body and he was afraid he couldn't maintain his transformation for much longer.

He dived through the globe of soldiers before they descended on him and he took off at max speed towards Danzo. The old man saw him coming and ordered more men to stop him but it was all in vain.

Naruto ran through the squads clawing and striking them down as he went while his eyes stayed locked on to his target. He used everything he had into charging forward because he knew this was now or never.

_Just a bit more, I'm almost in range. I can end everything right here and right now with this last attack! _Naruto thought as he neared Danzo who still had many squads of men around him.

Naruto did a cartwheel and used his hand to push himself off the ground as he twisted his body and ran along the wall before kicking off and diving head first at Danzo. A soldier jumped up at him blocking Danzo from his view by died in the process as his entire face was slashed off by Naruto.

Naruto landed with his knees bent and did a front flip jumping over Danzo's guard and landing no less the ten feet way from the man.

"You won't make it another inch" Danzo said boldly as his men surrounded the two of them.

"Don't kid yourself old man you can't stop me" Naruto said with a smirk even though he felt himself losing his power with each passing second.

"Unfortunately for you, you have fallen into a trap. It was foolish to get this close to me because now you are in range to be defeated" Danzo said calmly.

"Go ahead old man, make your move" Naruto spat out venomously.

Danzo stood still for a second as if waiting for something to happened but when nothing did a look of panic came on his face. His cool composure was abandoned and he was about to flee.

"Too slow" Naruto said coldly as one of his chakra tails flew at Danzo at amazing speed.

The aged Jounin stood petrified as the tail snaked it's way through the air and zoned in at it's target. His eye grew wide with fear as he watched the sharp pointed end of the tail come closer and closer towards his face.

He remained frozen as the tail pierced him directly through his eye violently and came flying out through the back of his head. Naruto watched with a sick satisfaction as the tail retracted and the giant hole were Danzo's eye use to be bled all over the place.

The body of the old man fell to the ground lifelessly and Naruto looked around the room. He was still surrounded but no one had the nerve to make an attack now that Danzo was dead.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to find the energy for one last all-powerful attack, one that would end his life but take all of Konoha with him. He wanted to overload himself with the demonic chakra and cause an explosion powerful enough to wipe Konoha off the planet.

He didn't want to die just yet but there was no other choice, at this point he would just exhaust himself soon and be killed by the remaining men. He couldn't accept that, there had to be retribution even if he had to take everyone down.

He opened his eyes ready to end everything at last but he was shocked when he looked around. Everything was gone, absolutely everything. He was now standing in what looked like an infinite abyss.

There was nothing but darkness in every direction including directly under him. Naruto looked down at his own body to see that the chakra cloak was gone now but that wasn't what confused him the most.

It was the fact that his body was in shades of grey and white. As he looked at his own hands in confusion a random chain flew from an unseen corner of the room and wrapped itself around his wrist.

Naruto tried to pull it off but another came at him from a different direction and secured the other wrist. Naruto started to panic while two more chains appeared from out of nowhere and tied down both of his legs by the ankles.

He looked around in fear as another one came from directly in front of him and wrapped around his neck so hard that he thought he was going to suffocate. The cold metal of the chain were causing him discomfort as they tightened and bore into his skin.

He could feel blood starting to drip from his neck as the chain continued to constrict. That's when he heard a roar, he looked over his shoulder to see the Kyuubi in all it's glory pinned down in the exact same manner.

It was standing behind him but it didn't seem to be concerned with his presence because it was roaring in pain due to it's own restraints.

Suddenly there was the sound of thunder and Naruto looked up towards the sky. Now there were grey clouds slowly drifting menacingly overhead. Lightning struck in front of Naruto and then it started to rain.

Naruto looked up at the sky as the rain drops washed over him as he struggled to break free from the chains. He completely ignored the rain and continued to struggle desperately until he felt a chilling pain in his shoulder.

He looked over to see that something had cut him along the backside of his shoulder leaving a rather large gash. That's when something fell and cut him along his forearm and he yelled in pain.

Naruto looked up in horror as the raindrops above him froze high in the sky and morphed into razor sharp ice crystals that almost resembled little jagged spears. Naruto bowed his head down as he was cut again and again by the razor sharp hail.

The hail was forming so high in the sky that the force of the fall greatly magnified the impact it had by the time it made it to him.

He screamed and screamed as he could feel the ice sinking into his flesh and soon his body was covered in blood and lacerations. Several sharp pieces had remained in his back and a few were deep into his arms but he still tried to break free.

The sky above him was now a deep red as it continued to hail for what seemed like an eternity. Naruto remained suspended in a pool of his own blood as he was cut and stabbed repeatedly, drawing more and more blood as he struggled to escape.

It was like it was raining sharp shards of glass on him for what seemed like days without end. Pieces of the hail were now implanted all over him and there was not a single part of his body that had remained safe.

His skin was coated red from all the dried up blood that now covered him. There were shards of hail covering his back and arms and a few buried in his scalp. He looked over his shoulder at the Kyuubi which had passed out a long time ago.

The shards of hail that struck the Kyuubi were the size of a tree and it's body was covered as well. The Kyuubi just like Naruto, was painted in it's own blood and was still chained down.

Naruto stared in a lifeless daze down at his feet, watching his own pitiful expression from the pool of blood beneath him. He was panting for air and his entire body felt heavy. He had lost enough blood to die but he had been holding on to what little life he had.

He felt himself becoming weaker and weaker as he stood there watching his own reflection in the blood. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness and for the first time in his life he gave up.

_After everything I've been through it ends here, I can't go on anymore, If these chains weren't holding me so tightly I would be face down in my own blood. I don't have the energy to even fight back anymore._

_This is it, this is really where I die. I'm sorry Ino, Tayuya, and Hinata, I couldn't give you guys the life any of you deserve. In the end I couldn't even protect one person, how could I have ever protected any of you._

_After all this killing and all this bloodshed my heart hasn't gained any peace. Hiashi's death wasn't enough, but in the end will any amount of violence be enough?_ _No, there is more to this than I know. _

_I will never be at peace until I figure out everyone involved with Hiashi, everyone needs to pay, absolutely everyone._

Naruto groaned as the darkness slowly closed his field of view, _I suppose it doesn't matter now. This is just another one of my many failures. Tsunade, Ino, Tayuya, Hinata, please forgive me. _

Naruto thought as the darkness took over, he could no longer see anything and he feeling of his body went from a mixture of numbness and pain to nothing. All feeling left his body and he slipped into unconsciousness.

_Goodbye everyone, please don't cry for me, I don't deserve it._

**A/N**: And so it goes without saying that this was an important chapter. The next two will be equally as important if not even more so. For everyone that was freaking out about this not being a Dark Naruto story, all I have to say is: Didn't I tell you to wait? But before we really make a final judgment it's also important to realize that this is merely the beginning of Naruto's journey and development.

I know everyone was so concerned because Naruto's original goals were pure but now looking back at things, it didn't really matter. This is an important chapter because this is Naruto's first step into Darkness. Meaning there is going to be much more development ahead(this is by no means the extent of his fall), I know I made a big fuss about the whole "descent into darkness" thing in an authors note a few chapters back but I doubt people really took that seriously until now.

Either way whether you are in favor of Konoha's demise or not things had to be this way, otherwise the whole point of the story is lost. It's like watching Star Wars and hoping that Anakin doesn't flip out and start murdering people and going to the dark side, it just ruins everything and the story becomes meaningless.

I know some people didn't want Naruto to attack Konoha because he had worked so hard to be seen as something other than the demon inside of him and in attacking Konoha he is proving them right. This is correct, but this story isn't about being accepted by Konoha because that is a shallow and boring goal. This is not a happily-ever-after story, there is not a person alive that would try to gain acceptance by Konoha after being abused that much year after year, and at this point Naruto never planned on going back to his life there.

I was originally going to make the massacre longer but I figured it become repetitive and boring after a while so I left it the way it is, hopefully the length doesn't cheapen the actions. Anyway enough of my ranting, Thanks for Reading and Don't forget to Review. Peace.


	11. Cleaning Out My Closet

**A/N: **For those of you that hate my rants, avoid the ending authors note at all cost, you have been warned.

"speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu**

Chapter 11: Cleaning Out My Closest

Naruto opened his eyes slowly as he groaned in pain. His entire body was fairly numb besides this intense burning sensation that seemed to be affecting all his muscles. He struggled to sit up but remained leaning against a wall as he sat lifelessly on the floor.

He was next to a window and the moonlight was shining on his face causing him to squint. The room he was now in was fairly dark, the only light radiating it was from the window he was near.

_Was that all just a genjutsu? It felt so real though, I don't think I've ever felt such intense pain before, _Naruto thought as he breathed uneasily while he struggled to recompose himself but he soon stopped.

After a minute of just remaining still he managed to move his head up with nothing but sheer will power. He took a deep breath as he looked around the room he was currently in. His eyes widen with shock when he recognized the familiar settings.

"Welcome back Naruto" A bored voice said from in from of him.

Naruto locked his eyes on the figure standing in front of him. There was a man in standard Jounin attire with his headband covering his right left eye. He was leaning against the Hokage's desk with his arms crossed over his chest and a bored expression on his face as usual.

"Don't strain yourself anymore by moving, it's a miracle if you'll be able to even stand after enduring a full Tsukuyomi. You've caused quite a commotion, I had to send out my full forces to surround the area and keep everyone in their homes after such a loud explosion. I've gone out of my way to get a chance to speak with you so please don't do anything rash" Kakashi said.

"Why am I here?" Naruto asked emotionlessly as he scanned the room for hidden enemies.

"I just wanted to have a little chat with you, that's all" Kakashi answered casually.

"Why haven't you captured me yet? You obviously know what I've done by now" Naruto asked suspiciously as he tried to move but failed.

"Relax Naruto, I said I just wanted to talk" Kakashi repeated.

"…about what?" Naruto said coldly.

"Now that you've finally avenged Tsunade, are you at peace?" Kakashi asked.

"You fucking knew?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to his feet but the burning pain increased as he moved and he fell to his knees gasping in pain.

"Please try to relax, by now you should know the strain the Kyuubi's power puts on your body. Despite what you might feel, your body can not keep up with the demon's full power for very long. When you use it excessively you force the muscles in your body to exceed natural limits and it's harmful to you"

"Since you have such little control over the Kyuubi you draw out more power than you can properly channel so the excess chakra that isn't released and used simply burns your own body" Kakashi informed him.

"Just answer the fucking question!" Naruto yelled as he forced himself back on his feet with much effort.

"Yes, I knew, thanks to you her murderers have been taken care of. However in your rampant killing spree you've managed to leave a lot of dead Hyuuga on my hands. How do you think we should deal with that?" Kakashi asked with a sigh.

Naruto froze, his actions had just now dawned upon him and the chilling realization that he had murdered numerous of people in the mist of his bloodlust. Kakashi smiled as he watched Naruto's expression.

"Ha, did you really not realize it until just now. That's the price of using a power you can't fully control, innocent people get killed. Or did you kill them out of your own anger, did you really choose to ignore the line between threat and bystander because you were furious?" Kakashi asked as he leaned forward.

"Why don't you care? Why aren't you doing something about it?!" Naruto demanded as he fell back to the floor in defeat.

"What would you have me do? Kill you? Would that bring those people back?" Kakashi asked as he looked away.

Naruto looked down at the ground as he felt his eyes becoming watery again, He looked back down at his hands. The hands that had mercilessly killed, "…I…I killed them simply out of fury, they had no right to die. I really am no better than the Kyuubi itself " He thought out loud as memories of their faces came back to him.

"Now that you've realized what you've done we can talk seriously" Kakashi said in a business like voice.

Naruto didn't respond, he was too deep in trying to comprehend why he lost control like he did.

"If you knew that Tsunade was murdered by Hiashi and Danzo why didn't you do anything about it!" Naruto yelled out hoping to turn to the blame on Kakashi so that he didn't have to reflect on his own actions.

"Hmm, that's a good question, since I want you to trust me I'm going to tell you the truth from the beginning. I'll start by telling you that I know some things about you that you don't even know about yourself" Kakashi said with a warm smile.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked as he stared back at his old mentor.

"Hiashi and Danzo are part of an organization called Root. Root was exposed by Tsunade but the she only believed it to consist of Danzo's hidden army, which is in inaccurate assumption. Root is actual a second government of Konoha that has existed for ages"

"Root was created by the second Hokage after the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, passed away, it was created in an effort to keep absolute control of the village and combat the Uchiha. At the time there was a man known as Madara Uchiha that was considered the greatest threat Konoha has ever known"

"Madara was the leader of the Uchiha clan and was one of the founding fathers of Konoha. The Uchiha and Senju clan were the ones that united to make the first ninja village which was Konoha. Before Konoha's conception Senju and Uchiha were enemies and fought constantly."

"Madara was forced into forming a truce and helping build the village but he eventually snapped and tried to usurp power but was defeated. Madara was defeated by Hashirama several times and was run out of Konoha but without him Madara would have a chance at a coupe. The Nidaime knew that Madara had planted seeds of disloyalty amongst the Uchiha so they were not to be trusted."

"In the effort to have enough forces to combat them from the shadows he created Root with several of his loyal students and followers, most of which were Hyuuga. The organization spread out so that it consisted of hundreds of Ninja's ready to follow out any order in the effort of keeping Konoha safe"

"The problems didn't stop at Madara though, he managed to gather enough forces to plan several terrorist attacks from different villages. With his Sharingan he influence several leaders of different villages to aid him"

"Root's first real mission was to assassinate him, which failed terribly. Then the mission became to stop his influence from spreading which was achieved over a short period of time by manipulating the politics of Suna and Kiri."

"However the biggest problem was that his followers inside of Konoha were now aware of Root's presence. There were several secret rebellions and massacres along with many assassinations of other Kages over the years"

"Roots main goal became protecting Konoha from all out warfare, a goal that failed miserably as you know because we still ending up fighting in the third great ninja war. While at war Root's purpose switched to defending Konoha which yet again was a failure since the nine tailed fox attacked"

"From then on Root's main mission has returned to it's basic function. Preventing war, and stopping the Uchiha from destroying Konoha. Root will forever serve as the protective shadow of Konoha whether the public knows it or not" Kakashi said as he looked Naruto directly in the face.

"How do you know all of that?" Naruto asked with a bit of anxiety.

"I think you would have come to that conclusion already….I am the current leader of Root" Kakashi said dully.

Naruto's eyes remained dull but then suddenly flashed with anger as he jumped from the floor and through a punch at Kakashi's face. Kakashi ducked left and grabbed his wrist and flipped him into the wall.

Naruto slammed into the wall and fell to the floor in pain. He arched his back and growled in pain as he scrambled on the floor but he still managed to get back on his feet.

"Could you at least wait for me to finish before you do something stupid like that?" Kakashi said sounding slightly irritated.

"You fucking bastard! You were the one that ordered Tsunade to be killed!" Naruto screamed a he struggled to limp towards Kakashi.

"It was necessary, there was no other way" Kakashi said calmly as Naruto collapsed on to the floor again.

"How the fuck can you say that?! She was our Hokage, what did she ever do to deserve that?" Naruto said again as he started to get emotional.

Kakashi watched him with a certain level of interest, "Are you really about to cry? Why are you so devastated about her death, this isn't the first time someone close to you has died."

"Tsunade meant the world to me, and you fucking took her away you bastard" Naruto screamed as he forced himself to his feet yet again and charged at Kakashi.

Before he made it three feet he felt a fist slamming into his stomach and he keeled over immediately.

"You should really stop, in your current condition you have only a three percent chance of defeating me. All you're doing is wasting energy and causing yourself more pain" Kakashi said coldly as he walked back to his desk.

"Why did you do it?!" Naruto demanded as he grunted in pain.

"To put it simply, she became a threat to Konoha" Kakashi answered.

"How can you say that, she did nothing wrong!" Naruto yelled.

"She has been making worse and worse decisions every year, at this point Konoha is in terrible shape if an emergency were to arise. Konoha has been the strongest village since it's conception but now we're soon to be left behind by Kumo and even Suna"

"Not only that but the seeds of war have already been planted, because she is no longer in charge we might be able to avoid war altogether but it's hard to say. In short Konoha has been slowly dying since the assassination of the third Hokage and Root is going to fix this problem at all cost" Kakashi answered.

"You didn't have to kill her for that, if you wanted to be Hokage so bad you could have just waited for her to retire!" Naruto argued.

"The truth is I don't even want to be Hokage, it holds me down and draws to much attention to myself. I only took the title because I knew I couldn't trust Danzo or Hiashi to do it and because I knew you'd come to kill them shortly after word of Tsunade's death got around" Kakashi explained.

"Why did you let me kill them, they were your own men and you sat back and predicted their own deaths. Why the hell would I ever trust you, not only are you a backstabbing bastard that killed Tsunade but you feed your own men to your enemy" Naruto spat out venomously.

"Hiashi and Danzo were becoming a nuisance, they weren't following orders and Hiashi in his infinite greed started to make moves on his own. I believe he was planning on taking the seat of Hokage for himself so he could use it to eliminate me and have his clan take over Konoha."

"I knew you wouldn't be satisfied until you've killed the men involved so I allowed you to murder them both as a peace offering. I kept the majority of the troops away on purpose so they couldn't receive enough backup and you would only have to take out their personal body guards and make it out alive"

"I came in with Danzo after I convinced him that a Tsukuyomi would be enough to subdue you but I waited until after you killed him to stop your rampage. I am the only one that can stop you because the Mangekyou Sharingan is one of the only things capable of controlling the Kyuubi" Kakashi explained.

"You fucking used me to do your dirty work" Naruto said in anger.

"I was trying to appease you, but apparently you aren't satisfied with that. You've caused quite a bit of trouble already, you can at least be happy you got to murder those idiots" Kakashi said with a defeated sigh.

"I don't like killing people, I'm not a monster like you!" Naruto said bitterly.

"Oh really? What about the one hundred and six people you murdered in cold blood right before coming here? Am I really the monster, I only killed one old woman, you on the other hand nearly wiped out an entire clan, so what does that make you?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto remained completely silent as he looked away from Kakashi.

"You don't realize it Naruto but we are very much alike. I know that's not what you want to hear right now but the only real difference between us is time. Once you've traveled the land and seen and experience as many things as I have you'll see the truth" Kakashi said remorsefully.

"..And what's the truth?" Naruto asked in a defeated voice.

"That in a world controlled by power, there is no right or wrong, in the end the only thing that matters is the final consequence. The end justifies the means, if you have to murder a hundred innocent people to save a thousand shouldn't you do it?"

"The ninja world is filled with murder, deceit, and anarchy, the only way you can change that is with force. I am here to protect Konoha and the ideals it was founded on, by any means necessary" Kakashi informed him.

"That still doesn't make murder acceptable" Naruto said.

"Possibly you're right but I don't care either way, you can't accomplish great things without sacrifice. That is the principle that you are failing to understand. To build something you must first destroy something else, because in the end you have to create from the fragments of the broken substance and transform them into something new" Kakashi said firmly.

"Why are you telling me all of this? Why haven't you killed me already?" Naruto said in a weak voice as he simply gave up fighting back.

"I want you to join me" Kakashi said boldly.

Naruto looked up at him in surprise "What?"

"Your fate has always been in Konoha and even now there is still much for you to do. I want you to become my second in command and run Root with me. When the time comes I will step down as Hokage and leave everything to you, you'll have everything you could possibly desire" Kakashi said.

"Why would I ever join you?" Naruto said in outrage.

"Because I hold the secrets to your entire life" Kakashi said with his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Naruto looked back at him in confusion, "Enough with the fucking vague responses, just tell me what I want to know!"

"Ha, you really have no clue. Even after all this time you still haven't learned the first lesson I taught you, 'Look underneath the underneath'. Such a simply phrase but it is key to just about every aspect of your life" Kakashi said.

"Let me ask you something Naruto, do you remember your early childhood? Do you remember moving in to your apartment in the public housing district? Do you remember ever enrolling into school ? Are any of these questions bringing up memories before you started the academy?" Kakashi asked with a smile.

Naruto stopped and thought for a few minutes but he couldn't recall anything before the academy, he looked back up at Kakashi in confusion.

"I was really little, of course I won't remember much from back then" Naruto said although he didn't really believe what he was saying.

"You don't remember those things because your memories have been sealed within your own mind. You were a secret project called 'Iron Fox' that ended just before you started to academy"

" But first to really understand what was happening I have to explain to you what was going on before you were born." Kakashi said mysteriously

Naruto looked up at him with lifeless eyes as he sat back and allowed the information to sink in.

"I wasn't always the leader of Root, as I told you the organization was originally led by the Nidaime but when he passed away he did not entrust it to Sarutobi. Instead he left it to Sakumo Hatake, my father"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at these words, although he had known Kakashi for a long time he had never heard him speak of his father before.

"My father was a very highly respected warrior and was even compared to be on level with the sannin. He was known throughout the ninja world as Konoha's White Fang, and he was trained by the Nidaime exclusively at one point"

"The problem started out because of this, at the time my father was extremely young and although he was the heir of the group he was just the figure head at the beginning. Since he was too young the senior members influence him for a long time"

"The Nidaime intended Root to become dormant until Sakumo was ready to lead but the elder members wanted to take control from him. At this time Root went through a massive purging process were the people loyal to the Nidaime's request followed my father and the elders and their supporters tried to usurp power."

"For a while my father's group hid in the shadows while the elders took control of the village but after many years they re-emerged and started a war with the elders. Some of them fled Konoha and regrouped in other organizations but even now I don't know what happened to them"

"Eventually Sakumo took control and with the aid of Sarutobi brought peace in Konoha. Sarutobi became aware of the fighting and that's when my father swore allegiance to the Hokage seat. He gained Sarutobi's trust and they worked closely to end the internal fighting"

"Once the fighting was done with Sarutobi's approval my father spread his influence throughout all of Konoha yet again and there was a time of peace. Two years after all this had happened Sarutobi retired and chose you're father as his successor, that's where the trouble began" Kakashi said.

"What does Sakumo and my father have to do with me ?" Naruto asked sounding rather uninterested.

"While this was all going on the third Ninja war broke out because Root was fighting itself for so long. Without Root interfering to keep other villages from attacking us we were dragged into another conflict. Your father had already been proclaimed Hokage before the fighting but Sarutobi didn't immediately step down so your father was not aware of Root's presence."

"Root continued to work with Sarutobi until the battling became bad. At this time I was under your father's tutelage and was fighting in the war myself. The problems became when Root tried to coexist with your father"

"Root originally wanted your father to continue like Sarutobi had done and allow us to move as we pleased without any real supervision. Sarutobi had trust in us so we reported to him out of respect but for the most part we kept our actions secret, however your father would have none of that."

"Sakumo in his extreme pride thought of himself as being more worthy to be Hokage than Minato. He had great respect for the Third because he was a student of the Nidaime but he found Jiraiya to be a weak-minded man with little talent despite his title as Toad Sage"

"He originally tried to pressure Minato into relinquishing some of his power so that Root could become even stronger. Minato despised the idea of Root in general and demanded that they disbanded"

"They started to fight a war behind the scenes over control of Konoha because once again there was the threat of another war, this time a civil war with the Uchiha. My father wanted to wipe them all out in a midnight raid and your father got word of it"

"This is when the first battle in the war started, before they were simply undermining each other but now it was all out fighting. Both sides were fighting for the betterment of Konoha yet they were trying to kill each other, the difference was simply ideals"

"Root attacked the council out of greed because they wanted the certain council seats. They murdered three high members, and then replaced them with Root operatives within a week. They slowly tried to bury their seeds in every aspect of the government. You see before they controlled the boarders and many key areas in the Hokage tower but that was when they were working with the Hokage"

"Now that they were against the Hokage, they had to gain influence over Minato at every possible location. They had already planted men in all important areas in the past so it was easy to just increase their numbers"

"Root easily took over the council and my father started working Konoha against Minato in the council by day, while killing off his supporters at night. Your father was finally backed into a corner when your mother became pregnant."

"He contacted Jiraiya and was planning on starting an all out war in the middle of Konoha to defeat Root but the plans were intercepted. My father was infuriated that Minato not only was still clinging on to power but also was not intimidated by his threats so Sakumo brought things to the next level."

"He waited until your father was away from Konoha for a few hours with Jiraiya and he had his men attack your pregnant mother. Being the skilled kunoichi that she was, she managed to kill her attackers but was mortally wounded"

"Because of the wounds she was sent into labor early and was rushed to the hospital by the time your father returned. Out of fear for her life he took her from the hospital and gathered his remaining supporters to a hidden location"

"You were actually born in an underground room surrounded by Konoha's best and brightest. At the time Jiraiya was the one that actual delivered you. Because of the complications of your mothers' wounds she died not long after you were born, probably no more than forty minutes"

"Enraged your father told Jiraiya to take your mother's body to her family burial grounds in the whirlpool country so her soul could be at peace and he gave you to Sarutobi so that you were hidden because he was not aware that Sarutobi ever worked with Root"

"That's when he charged into the night and found Sakumo, he murdered him within our home, leaving his own sword buried deep into his stomach. It was done with such amazing precision that the coroner believed it was a suicide, which was the lie made to cover it up"

"That was the horrifying night that the nine tailed fox emerged to attack Konoha. We had known it was nearby and Minato had already sent men to combat it but they all just perished under it's might."

Your father in his grief and desperation came up with a plan, because he knew that those loyal to Sakumo would only come after you now that root was on the verge of collapsing. Minato charged into battle with all his strength and brought with him the most complicated and advance sealing scroll Konoha has ever seen"

"He had Sarutobi bring you to the battlefield and amidst defeat sealed the beast within you, so that you would have the power to protect yourself. He knew the demon would not let you die because your lives would be intertwined, so even in his absent you would always be protected."

"I guess he believed that he was not capable of guaranteeing your safety by himself so he decided that he would give his life in an attempt to offer you a real future. Even if he chose to protect you himself, you would both be running from Root because they would never stop as long as Minato was alive. By dying he gave you the freedom from having to carry his struggles but unfortunately you were by yourself"

"Jiraiya was still away at this time so he was unaware of your fate, Sarutobi did not know what to do with you and you were handed to his council. That's when operation Iron Fox began" Kakashi said with an alluring gaze.

Naruto's face was twisted in a mix of pure shock and astonishment, he looked down at his feet as if trying to convince himself that Kakashi was lying but he no longer knew what to believe.

"You've seen what happened to Gaara, you know he was used as a weapon by his village. Tell me, how come you have never questioned why this didn't happen to you?" Kakashi asked.

"I thought Konoha was not like that, I wanted to believe that this village was better than Suna. I really wanted to believe that these people would not do that to one of their own and that I could trust our leaders" Naruto said out loud.

"Hmmp, those are very naïve statements! Wherever there is power, there is also corruption. Although I suppose I understand your desires, no one wants to believe the worst of their own home" Kakashi thought out loud.

"However the kind old man that you knew made one fatal mistake, he was aware of the Jinchuriki of other villages and feared that Konoha needed to have one as well. At the time Konoha had no alliances and all of our enemy villages had Jinchuriki, Suna being the most feared at the time because of how close it is to us and the numerous enemies my father made from there. With you sitting in his arms and without any kind of guardian or relative it's obvious what he did with you"

"Root was still around and they saw this as a golden opportunity to prepare Konoha's greatest savior, you. Under the urges of his inner circle and pressure from Root's remaining members Sarutobi decided to turn a blind eye and handed you to Root."

"I suppose the old man wanted to believe that only Sakumo was corrupt and that the remaining Root forces would keep Konoha's best interest in mind. You were taken underground to Root headquarters and for the next seven and a half years of your life you were trained in every aspect of combat"

"You received advanced training in chakra control, spatial movement, weapon disarms, weapons training, seal manipulation, taijutsu, and survival techniques. We crammed every bit of relevant information into your head and by the age of six you had excelled jounin level."

"However we had failed to accomplish the main goal, drawing out the Kyuubi's true power. Every time we managed to force it's power out of you, you completely lost control and it was obviously more dangerous than we originally imagined"

"Hiashi in one dreadfully rash decision had our men alter your seal in an effort to have you gain full control. It backfired terribly and you murdered the entire seal manipulation crew. After finally stopping you we tried to repair the seal but it was impossible"

"In the end the seal was damaged heavily and we feared that it would weaken, causing the Kyuubi to eventually gain dominance over your personality. Sarutobi heard of the massacre and came to see the damage."

"That's when he saw your face for the first time in years and remembered Minato, in his moment of guilty and remorse he had the project terminated and relocated you to your own apartment so you could have a chance at a normal life."

"Your memory was altered and Hiashi had promised that they sealed off the Kyuubi's chakra from you, so you could not use it. Since you are standing before me now it's obvious our fears were misguided, it appears Hiashi's constant tampering didn't cause any unpredictable effects"

"Once they had blocked off your memories Sarutobi ordered it a crime to tell you that you were a jinchuriki and sent one of his own men to watch out for your safety. Since then Iruka has dedicated himself to being your 'guardian angel' so to speak" Kakashi said as he walked around his desk and sat down in his chair.

"He sacrificed himself to save me?! I had always resented him because I thought he abandoned me for the village. I was always angry because I thought he valued the village more than me" Naruto said pitifully as his eyes grew sad.

"Minato was a very admirable man, I was proud to be his student. I hold no ill will towards him for killing my father" Kakashi said with a reminiscent smile.

"How do you know all of this, you were still young when all of this happened right?" Naruto questioned suspiciously.

"Ha, I was one of the few people in Konoha that you're father trusted so I was underground with him when you were born, and afterward I was one of your instructors at Root headquarters. The remaining members of Root approached me and brought me up to follow in my fathers footsteps. You may not believe this but I helped raise you!"

"No child would be sane if placed in such environments without a way to let out steam so I was the one and only person that played with you every day. You weren't allowed to leave the base besides brief scrimmages in the forest, but even those were heavily supervised."

"I took you out to goof off every now and then but most of the time we stayed at Root headquarters. I spent so much time with you that you started calling me big brother" Kakashi said with a proud smile.

Naruto looked back over at him with cold eyes "I've heard enough, I don't believe you!"

"I still think of you as my little brother, that's why I want to give you this chance. Your destiny is in Konoha, it will forever be here. You have the potential to reach unimaginable heights but you need to grow stronger. I want to help you do that, I am the only one that can help you achieve what you really want" Kakashi said as he continued completely ignoring Naruto as he stood up and walked up to him.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard and I'm not falling for it" Naruto said defiantly.

"I can prove it if you want?" Kakashi tempted as he looked down at the nearly crippled jinchuriki.

"How?" Naruto spat out skeptically.

"Sigma,Violet,1382,Omega, 16GE, Hyperion,1911FQ, Foxtrot, Orange" Kakashi spoke out robotically.

Naruto looked at him in confusion for a second just as he felt his eyes rolling in the back of his skull. He started to scream and reached for his temples as a great burning sensation erupted from the center of his head.

He rolled around the floor screaming in pain as everything turned into a blinding shade of white. After what felt like an eternity he found himself sprawled out on the floor twitching violently, with his mouth open while he drooled all over himself.

"Are you alright, you had be worried for a minute there" Kakashi said sounding actually concerned.

Naruto struggled to sit up as he felt blood trickling from his nose and the corner of his eyes. He reached up and wiped the blood from the bottom of his eyes in pain as he strained his body.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Naruto demanded as he crawled away from Kakashi.

"That should have triggered your repressed memories. All the extensive training from all those years should be returning to you, if that's not proof enough I don't know what is" Kakashi said.

Naruto blinked hard as he felt an undeniable rush as waves of random information echoed inside of his head, he couldn't place them together in a full memory but it was frightening enough as it was.

" Information is and has always been the most powerful thing in the ninja world, I'm giving you more information than you could possibly dream off. In return, all I ask is that you trust me"

"Join me Naruto, you are destined to be so much more than just another Missing Nin , don't waste your life wandering around Oto. Return to Konoha, fulfill your destiny" Kakashi proclaimed.

"No! Bullshit, I don't care what kind of crazy things you can make me remember, how do I know you didn't implant those thoughts in my head? You've never treated me as anything more then a troublesome student with little talent so don't expect me to fall for this shit so easily" Naruto shouted back.

Kakashi laughed loudly at this comment, "Do you honestly believe in coincidences? I had you place on my gennin team on purpose. From the beginning I have been looking out for you, training you towards your future"

"You were only interested in Sasuke and you even abandoned me during the chunin exams! You never focused on me and you never showed any interest in me." Naruto argued.

"Ha ha team seven was chosen carefully. I chose you so that I could overlook your training personally and I wanted to see if you could really exceed expectations and release the Kyuubi even after everything Hiashi had done to your seal. I chose Sasuke because I had predicted the Uchiha's ignorance and his likeliness to betray Konoha."

"My entire goal with Sasuke was to steer him along the same path you were already on, unfortunately he was resistant and showed his true colors after the exams. I purposely left you to Jiraiya because I wanted you to learn the ways of the Toad Sage. Only he could teach you such a powerful summon and possibly mend the seal" Kakashi explained.

"I met Jiraiya out of pure luck, there's no fucking way you can take credit for that!" Naruto interjected.

"Why do you think Jiraiya was in Konoha to begin with? I had contacted him and he was there to scope you out before accepting. I believe he was hesitant about meeting you because he felt responsible for Minato's death and didn't want bad memories to resurface because in the end he was the one who failed to protect his own student, but that's besides the point. You made the proper impression and Jiraiya folded under the pressure and took you under his wings" Kakashi said with satisfaction.

"Then what about Sakura, why did you put her on team seven?" Naruto asked thinking he finally got Kakashi this time.

"Oh that girl", Kakashi said as if the thought of her irritated him, "Well I needed to pick someone that would essentially contribute to your motivation while not getting in the way of your training"

"Since the only thing you were really interested in was Sakura I put her on the team to ensure that you wouldn't try to switch because of Sasuke. Also once you realize your tendency to compete with Sasuke and how Sakura loved to praise Sasuke, you realize that together those two idiots would drive you to push yourself even harder" Kakashi explained.

"There's no way in hell you could manipulate so many events in my life!" Naruto said in disbelief.

"Don't think I made it to where I am now just because my father led Root. I was Konoha's original genius after all, long before Itachi, and Shikamaru. I've calculated the possibility of every possible outcome and prepared myself accordingly, that's why I've survived for so long and made it to the top"

"I don't make mistakes Naruto, every thing I do is carefully calculated and thought out to the point were I basically can't fail. I went to great lengths to guarantee things would turn out like they have now"

"There was a seventy three percent chance you would be influenced by Jiraiya and grow even more loyal to Konoha, a fifty two percent chance you would master the summoning technique within the year, thirty seven percent chance you would die in the process, and a ninety one percent chance you would awaken your latent talent after the seal had some proper repairs" Kakashi recited effortlessly.

Naruto looked at him in astonishment as Kakashi reported all kinds of statistics about his own life.

"There was a eighty six percent chance you would try to compete with Sasuke and in turn push yourself even harder, along with a twenty four percent chance that you would try to abandon Konoha because of how you were treated. Depending on Jiraiya's influence a forty seven percent chance of you leaving Konoha and I calculated a sixty one percent chance you would ascent to Jounin level by the age of 16" Kakashi continued.

" I predicted a seventy eight percent chance of you coming back to avenge Tsunade, and a ninety seven percent chance of you killing Hiashi and Danzo. As you can see I've been prepared for this moment for a long time" Kakashi said with a smile

"I still don't understand why you think I'm so special, is it because of the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked.

"No, although the Kyuubi is a bonus, it's irrelevant. Your true power is your almost limitless potential. You have so much natural talent but your skills were actually damaged by Hiashi's men tampering with your memory"

"In the end you lost all your techniques and your skills along with your memory but in the process it became harder for you to re-learn them. It was like the new information could not replace the old and the conflicting methods clashed. I noticed this earlier but there was nothing I could do" Kakashi said.

"Your brain is still aware of the skills you gained by Root but it blocks them out because of the excessive trauma of the memory seal and when this information is re-presented to you it causes lapses in comprehension. You probably know four to five ways to do every single skill you've been taught and your mind sometimes combines various methods together without you knowing, resulting in failure" Kakashi explained.

Naruto buried his head in his hands, "SHUT UP! This is all too much, I can't take this anymore. Just stop!"

Kakashi ignored him "But there is one attribute you have that still seems to amaze me, it's not your undying willpower or your intense focus, it's your uncanny luck. It's the one factor that has power over everything yet, it can't be predicted on any level."

"Some of the feats you managed to accomplish have been so insanely lucky that I doubt anyone could have expected them, even from you. You're defeat over Gaara for example, exceeded all possible standards even for someone with a Bijuu" Kakashi praised.

"You have everything it takes to be unstoppable besides the experience. That's what you're gaining now. You are still too naïve, you still need to grow Naruto. Do you want me to give you quite possibly the most important advice you'll ever hear?" Kakashi asked.

"What is it" Naruto asked still speechless from everything else.

"The one person that has the power to destroy you, the person you should fear the most, the person that is your greatest enemy is and will always be; yourself."

"You still are controlled by your emotions and that will always be your weak point, a ninja should never carry emotions with him into battle. You should know as a shinobi that you need to kill your emotions to stay alive"

"And that was the final reason I killed Tsunade, you have to learn to accept death in order to overcome pain. She was only a distraction to you and despite what you may believe you will only grow stronger in her absence" Kakashi claimed.

"So that's what you think?" Naruto said in a deep growl.

"Now that you know everything, what path shall you take?" Kakashi asked.

"My entire life has been one giant lie, I've been playing into your hands from the beginning. No! This time I'm going to make my own path, I'm not going to follow you Kakashi. Actually I'm going to kill you now" Naruto announced as he jumped to his feet and launched into a spinning kick.

Kakashi moved out of the way and Naruto's foot ripped through his desk in one swift movement.

"Why are you being so stubborn?! Do you really think you can defeat me in your current condition? At most you have three percent chance at victory. Why don't you reconsidering this before I'm forced to retaliate" Kakashi said calmly

"I've seen you fight before and I know what to expect, don't take me lightly because I've become much stronger over the years. Even if I have to die here I won't let you escape. I'm going to break the chains that have bound me to his village and I won't stop until everyone in Root is dead. If you actual thought I'd let Tsunade die in vain you're an idiot, I plan on sending you all to hell" Naruto said as his hands moved into a new fighting stance that he's never used before.

" Ha ha, are you sure you've actually seen me fight, or have you seen what I've wanted you to see. Did you know that there has been countless times when team seven was trained by one of my shadow clones."

"In actuality you fools were rarely ever in my true presence and thanks to your lack of skills you couldn't tell a shadow clone apart from the original. Not only have you not seen me fighting seriously but you haven't seen my true chakra limit." Kakashi informed him as he walked around the room cautiously.

"Bullshit! Sasuke's Sharingan would have noticed it" Naruto said as he watched Kakashi like a hawk.

"Sasuke's Sharingan was underdeveloped and as long as I put a large amount of chakra into the clone he couldn't tell the difference. By more importantly, my Sharingan had always been superior" Kakashi proclaimed as he raised his headband and revealed his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"There were a few times when we were traveling that I actual accompanied you guys but I had motives for doing so. Such as the incident with Zazuba, as you recall it appeared like a random event but I purposely dragged us in that direction. I heard about his whereabouts weeks before so I decided this would be a great debut mission."

"My real goal was to put your life at risk so that you would draw out the Kyuubi's power under my supervision but that mission was a failure. I allowed Zabuza to beat me to the point were it looked like I would die for the sake of your development. In reality I'm closer to Sannin level than my father ever was." Kakashi said.

At this point nothing Kakashi said was a shock anymore. Naruto felt himself calming down as a hint of fear echoed deep inside his heart.

"I want you to answer a few questions for me before I decide" Naruto said as he relaxed.

"Feel free?" Kakashi said with a wave of his hand as he leaned back against his bookshelf.

"Hiashi said something about Hinata killing me? He made it sound like he did something to her without her knowing? What is he talking about?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi had a pensive look on his face for a few moment but then his eyes lit up in shock "Hiashi you idiot!" He cursed angrily.

"What? Do you know what happened?" Naruto asked in fear.

"Hiashi had gathered a group of our scientist and they were working on developing a viral infection that could be used as an agent of war. He began the project behind my back and after I found out he tried to cover it up. Basically they had developed a virus that acted along with a sleeper agent to kill unsuspecting targets indirectly"

"I had my men secretly get a sample of the virus and they examined it. It was specially crafted to remain neutral to people that had certain strains of DNA, in other words anyone with Hyuuga blood was immune. But at the same time the virus eventually kills it's host regardless of who it is"

"I was worried that he was going to implant it in one of his followers and then try to get then in my proximity. Eventually after prolonged exposure you would catch it and die. Since I had my men removed from his command he probably used the only group of people he still controls, the Hyuuga" Kakashi deducted.

"So what are you saying? He used his own daughter as a host for the virus?!" Naruto said angrily as he started to get tense.

"Most likely, yes. He probably didn't plan on Hinata running off with you but recently he was trying to make her my personal secretary. Of course Hinata would be no threat to me and she was always someone without large ambition so I would never suspect her." Kakashi thought out loud.

"FUCK ! Kakashi tell me there's a cure for it, I need that cure !" Naruto pleaded.

"There's nothing I can do, the virus was still in a testing stage which is why he shouldn't have used it. Hinata has been with you for weeks which probably means the virus strands injected in her were too weak to kill you and probably turned on her" Kakashi suggested.

"Why wasn't it strong enough? If it can't kill me then why would it kill her?" Naruto asked as his eyes grew wide with fear.

"The Kyuubi is on your side, not only that but the virus is not designed to cause epidemics, it dies fairly easily. It's goal is to kill the first person in heavy contact and then the host, no one else. It will probably only kill Hinata because it is already striving inside her body, that's all it takes" Kakashi explained.

"But we still have time right? If the best doctors are assembles it can still be stopped, right?" Naruto asked desperately.

"I've had my men look at it in case of an outbreak, once it's rooted into someone there is no saving them. It's physically impossible, the only possible outcome is preventing them from dying right away. Best case scenario they die decades later, worst case: they die within a month"

"There has to be another way? Why the hell would he have something created that he couldn't stop?" Naruto said as he continued to panic

"There is a chance that she can live a full life because she is a Hyuuga after all, but I'd only give her two years tops. You might be able to find some kind of agent to prolong her life but one doesn't exist in Konoha" Kakashi informed him

As Naruto paced them room in a panic Kakashi watched him carefully before he spoke again "Do you have any other questions?".

"You told me you killed Tsunade to avoid war and to show me the experience of loss. How can you tell me that you had to kill a person just to prove a point?! Where is your faith in Konoha, if war is coming why not prepare us to fight instead of murdering a kind and loving woman" Naruto demanded.

Kakashi locked eyes with Naruto and Naruto could see the seriousness in his face.

"Konoha is in the weakest shape it has ever been in since it's creation. Faith is an idiotic sympathy, in truth our chance of winning a war as of right now is eighteen percent. EIGHTEEN PERCENT! Do you realize even in the event of a miracle we would still be crushed!" Kakashi said loudly.

"How can you possibly know that? You haven't seen what everyone is capable of." Naruto argued.

"You're right, but statistics are based of already verified information, and verified information is never unreliable when it comes to predicting the future. Our current ANBU force is at the weakest it's been in years, our amount of Jounin is low and our current rookies are pitiful. But it's not just our skill that's lacking it's the fact that in any possible situation we'd be facing three other Ninja villages with only Suna on our side"

"In the past few years Kumo has become immensely strong and Kiri is currently following in it's footsteps. In all honestly I believe we've already fallen from our spot. And as history shows, whenever a leading power slips from the top, the wolves at the bottom devour it without fail" Kakashi said.

"You're just being controlled by your fear! How about you stop with the stupid numbers and try to make a difference yourself. Maybe the odds don't look good but you should be willing to fight anyway" Naruto said accusingly.

"You speak out of inexperience, you can't possibly imagine the horrors of war. I forgive you for your ignorance but trust me there is nothing honorable and heroic about war. I was forced to live through the terrifying events of the third Ninja war and I refuse to let those atrocities happen again" Kakashi said in a deep voice as if he was in pain.

Naruto didn't say anything, he was caught off guard by Kakashi's sudden change in composure. Before Kakashi was calm and relaxed, almost bored with their current conversation, but now he was tense and appeared to be struggling to keep his himself from shaking with anger.

"I've seen if all Naruto. I've watched helplessly as people I once grew up with perished in a bloody mist of metal and fire. I've seen countless shinobi's torn limb from limb in prison camps. Indescribable brutality and savage behavior is what happens during war. People regress into a primitive state and chaos spreads like a wildfire"

"Tell me, could you really handle war. Could you remain sane as everyone around you was systematically killed and their bodies left rotting in the forest? Could you handle finding the corpse of your girlfriend? You find her dead body thrown into a ditch and she's covered in bruises and blood and her clothes have been ripped to shreds." Kakashi said as if in a trace.

Naruto hung on to every word he was saying amazed by this new side of Kakashi that he had never seen before.

"But that's not enough, you can tell she had been raped. And not just by one person, it's clearly the work of an entire squad. You can still see the pain in her lifeless eyes and although you feel so much pain that you believe you'll die simply from the heartache, you have no choice but to carry on and leave her behind without a proper burial"

"That's not where it ends though, you continue to watch cities being burned to the ground. Children no older than seven laying in the streets dismembered and you watch as their parents kneel in front of the corpses screaming for all hell."

"I've broken down and cried twice during my life, once when I discovered my girlfriend's dead body, and then again when I found out the fate of my mother. She was fighting valiantly in the war just like everyone else, but it's never safe for Kuniochi to be alone"

"She was captured along with her entire squad during a vital mission deep within enemy lines. They were made prisoners and the enemy slowly killed them all off, expect for her. They went weeks without food or water and were placed in tiny lightless cells."

"My mother in particular became a target and they raped her every single day until she was rescued by us. Your father, led the squad that found her, I was with him at the time. I never in my life have seen someone so completely destroyed in my life, she broke down and was no longer the mother I once knew."

"She was pregnant by the time we brought her back to a hospital in Konoha, it had been over a two months since she was captive. She couldn't take it, she hated the men that did it to her so much and the baby she was forced into carrying. No more than a week after she entered Konoha she killed herself, I was the first person to find her at the time"

"I've seen all of this. I've suffered the pain of losing hundreds of people, neighbors, friends, rivals, family members, mentors, lovers, I lost each and every person I every cared about in that war. And if they didn't die in the actual fighting they perished in the aftermath"

"To this day I've never found the murders of Rin, the only woman I ever loved, or Obito, my once rival and childhood friend. But that's not important, it doesn't matter that I was forced to leave their rotting corpses behind without so much as a passing glance because that's what war is! War is pure, savage chaos and primal violence, there is no glory and there is no point, it's just mindless suffering and indiscriminate brutality"

"No one deserves to experience what I have, no one should suffer such an unbearable torture. By the time the war was over I was on the brink of committing suicide myself, I didn't want to be the one that survived. I was left alone to bear the grief and mourn everyone, it was too much"

"Now tell me, can you handle that? Naruto you're on the verge of breaking down because you've lost one person! ONE PERSON! How could you possibly stand losing everyone else? I've given you a taste of what awaits you if war begins, can you honestly say you want to feel that pain again?" Kakashi asked, his eyes burning with a fierce anger from years of pent up emotions.

"I see" Naruto said quietly as he processed everything Kakashi had just told him.

"I've told you everything, now please make your decision, just know that I can't allow you to leave this room alive if you refuse" Kakashi added.

"Hmph, so you already know I'm going to decline" Naruto said with an amused smile on his face.

"You are stubborn after all, not unlike myself at your age" Kakashi said as he shook his head in disapproval.

"As I already said, I'm going to avenge Tsunade no matter what, that includes you Kakashi" Naruto said calmly.

"Why? Why would you throw away everything I've offered you for something as meaningless as revenge?" Kakashi asked in irritation.

"I'm not doing it just for revenge, I'm doing it for freedom! I refuse to remain a part of your stupid plan, I'm going to sever any connection I have with Konoha and make my own path. I'm not going be controlled by anyone, including you!"

"I'm done with all this bullshit, I'm going to go accomplish my dreams on my own with the people I care about. That's what Tsunade would have wanted me to do and I know Jiraiya would say the same thing"

"So that's it, huh?" Kakashi said in a bored tone sounding very disappointed.

"You took someone very important away from me, I'm not going to turn the other cheek!" Naruto said boldly.

"What about Hiashi and Danzo, weren't their deaths enough?" Kakashi asked.

"Hiashi deserves to die because of what he did to his own daughter and Danzo was just as corrupt. All of you disgust me and I'm not going to let you continue using people's lives for your own twisted sense of justice" Naruto declared.

Kakashi sighed in regret " So be it, I really didn't want things to end this way but you've left me with no other choice. Tsunade please forgive me for what I am about to do. I know I made a promise but it can't be helped"

Naruto's facial expression changed with the mention of Tsunade's name, "What are you talking about? What did you promise Tsunade ?"

"I spoke with her in her final moments. I had her sake poisoned so she would die without a struggle and leave this world peacefully. Of course when I entered her office and exposed myself as the leader of Root she already knew she was dying"

"We spoke briefly about the future of Konoha in those few minutes before the poison killed her. She went quietly because she knew there was nothing she could do, but more importantly she died quietly because she wanted us to carry out a final request for her" Kakashi said.

"What was it ?" Naruto asked as his heart beat furiously inside his chest.

"She asked that no matter what happens after her death we spare your life. I was speechless at the moment. I never liked Tsunade and I was actual enraged when I heard they have chosen her after Sarutobi's death, she had been a very selfish person in the past especially after the death of Dan.

"She was someone who could be mean, self centered, overly stubborn and easily bought off. She seemed like a terribly choice at the time, especially since she had spent the previous years drinking, gambling and living like a thief while hiding out in the countryside. You changed her though, you made her strong."

"That's why you would have been our greatest Hokage, you would have made Konoha strong again. Your influence has always motivated people to reach their true potential and that's what this village needs. The rookies around you exceed all expectations when you were around because of your influence and I know that is one of your most valuable abilities. You would have forced Konoha to reach it's true potential as well."

"You brought Tsunade to her full potential and I was truly amazed at the final results. At the time I went along and agreed to her wish because I was moved that someone like Tsunade could make such a selfless request in the midst of her own death. She truly loved you in the end, it's a shame you two didn't get to say a final goodbye" Kakashi said.

Naruto's rage had returned, He was clenching his fist so tightly that his nails were digging into his palm and drawing blood. He could feel all the anger and hatred re-surfacing and his eyes began to water yet again.

"Don't bother drawing out the Kyuubi, my Sharingan has already defeated you at the Hyuuga compound, you would only be repeating the same torture" Kakashi warned as he moved from the wall and stood still in front of Naruto.

"You should have never laid a finger on Tsunade!" Naruto roared in anger as he dived forward and attacked Kakashi.

Naruto watched in amazement as his hands shot out in front of him by themselves. He launched a series of jabs and punches in a precise order that was foreign to him. Naruto smiled cockily as the repressed training he received years ago was now paying off.

Kakashi effortlessly threw his forearm up blocking every punch and jab just as quickly as they were thrown. He leaned back then charged forward with a powerful punch to Naruto's right cheek.

Naruto's head twisted as what felt like a titanium bar crushed his cheek bone and sent him into a wall. He hit a book shelf and fell to the ground as the contents fell on top of him.

Before he could move a hand enclosed his wrist and yanked him into the air only for a well aimed kick to bash in his ribs and send him at another wall. Naruto tried to gain his sense of direction as he bounced off the wall and hit the floor when Kakashi's knee crashed into his chest breaking his sternum.

He coughed up blood as the air was forced out of his lungs and excruciating pain radiated through his body.

Kakashi back away and waited for him to get back up. Slowly and in much pain Naruto got back to his feet as he tried to heal himself with some of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"You're currently at one percent, do you still wish to continue? It's not too late to change your mind" Kakashi offered.

"Fuck you!" Naruto mumbled out as he took a few steps towards Kakashi.

"Don't try to use the training you've received from Root against me, I know every single thing you've learn during your time with us. After all, I use to help you spar" Kakashi said with an amused smile.

Naruto launched forward with a high kick but Kakashi grabbed his leg with one hand and sent a swift jab to Naruto's stomach with the other. Before Naruto could collapse again Kakashi pivoted as he released his leg and jumped off the ground slamming his knee into Naruto's face.

Naruto fell back and dropped to the ground again. Naruto closed his eyes and slowly reopened them but this time they were red. He stood up again with a smirk on his face and he wiped the blood off with his noise from his forearm.

"You can stop me when I'm using a complete chakra cloak but if I'm just adding it's chakra with mine you powerless" Naruto said triumphantly.

Kakashi sighed yet again "You're really just making this harder on yourself" he said but he relaxed his body and just watched Naruto.

"I'm not going to die without a fight, you should have known that" Naruto said as he entered a fighting stance.

"No, actually your just going to die" Kakashi said as he closed his left eye and his Mangekyou Sharingan started to pulse.

Naruto watched him in a state of alert in confusion but then suddenly he felt an immense heat. Naruto dived out of the way as the wall behind him erupted in black flames suddenly.

He looked back at the flames in awe as they ate through the wall in seconds.

"You see, this is where this battle ends." Kakashi declared as his eye focused on Naruto again.

Naruto could see the black flames materializing in his eyesight in a massive blanket that covered him as if it was a dome. He had seen these flames before and he knew the immediate danger.

He quickly spun around and jumped towards the window. His body slammed into the glass shattering it as he fell out of the room, sinking slowly while large fragments of the glass surrounded him like a cloud.

He turned in the air slowly. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as he looked back towards the window and saw Kakashi sitting in it like a perched hawk. The pieces of glass around him were burning with the black flames but he managed to escape.

Naruto hit the roof of a neighboring building hard and scrambled to his feet. He immediately took off running at full speed as he heard Kakashi chasing after him. He had never been faced with an opponent so strong in his entire life and for the first in years, he was afraid.

He soared over the city gates within seconds as he sent every ounce of energy he had into his legs so he could escape. He looked around as he entered the forest. Naruto could no longer hear the sound of Kakashi after him and he smiled in relief as he caught his breath.

As he sat there catching his breath for a few seconds he felt something. He looked up to see the trees around him erupting into flames, just as he started to panic he felt himself surrounding by the intense heat.

He shielded his face as the flames encircled his body and then he heard the sound of someone landing in the soft grass next to him.

"You're faster than I predicted, you really shouldn't be in any condition to walk after all the strain you've put your body through but yet again, you exceed expectations as always. It truly is a shame that things have to end this way" Kakashi said as he calmly walked up towards Naruto.

Naruto throw a punch at him but Kakashi caught his fist and squeezed down breaking some of Naruto's fingers. Naruto tried to scream in pain but a fist collided with his face immediately.

Five quick jabs were delivered to his stomach and he fell over yet again. Kakashi raised his foot and slammed it into Naruto's elbow as he laid helpless, the arm broke on impact with a loud crack and Naruto roared in pain. Kakashi picked up Naruto by the neck and looked deep into his eyes.

"I tried to warn you, I wanted to help you but you let your emotions get the best of you. Do you remember what I told you about month ago when we came to see Tsunade? I looked you in the eyes and gave you the best advice for dealing with your current situation because I knew I'd come to this"

"Think Naruto! You could have avoided this, but you didn't listen. I allowed you to walk freely through Konoha because you weren't a threat, but don't think stupid disguises like that would work on me. Root knows everything, Tayuya, Ino, and now Hinata, we have files on them all. There was nothing you could ever do to outsmart us because when you're in Konoha you're in our territory" Kakashi said as he threw Naruto over the flames and into a tree.

Naruto tried to force himself up yet again but Kakashi jumped up into the air and charged at him delivering a fierce kick to his lower leg as he tried to stand. His tibia broke and he rolled over on the ground in defeat.

"You are the last person in my life that I ever cared about, with your death I have no one, absolutely no one! You forced my hand into this, and because I am true shinobi I will ignore my emotions to fulfill my duty" Kakashi said coldly.

Just then Naruto used his last strength to push himself into the air, he flipped over Kakashi and forced himself to run despite the pain in his leg. He limped away into the distance when he could hear the sound of running water.

He panted desperately as he tried to put as much distance between him and Kakashi as possibly but he could hear the silver haired jounin gaining on him.

As he made it towards the river bank he looked around for an escape path. Suddenly he felt multiple teeth sinking into his body and he couldn't move. He looked around to see all of Kakashi's dog summons biting into him and preventing him from escaping.

All of a sudden he had a flashback of when Kakashi had used this trick against Zazuba and he grew nervous. Naruto desperately tried to rip free of their grasp but he was cemented in his place now.

"No more running, this ends here" Kakashi said as he stepped out from the shadows.

"This isn't over!" Naruto said bitterly in a weak voice.

"In this one attack, you die" Kakashi said as he focused his Sharingan yet again.

Naruto looked deep down within himself to find the strength to break free. He could see the flames slowly materializing again and he knew he had a fraction of a second to move. Everything was in slow motion again and he knew this would be the moment that would decide if he lives or dies.

He closed his eyes and he could see the smiling faces of Tayuya, Ino, and Hinata, and he knew he couldn't die just yet. He screamed in raged as he ripped free from the dogs and jumped backwards but it was too late.

The flames had covered the area but his jump had prevented him from taking the worst of the attacked. Black flames burned across his chest and stomach in a diagonal stripe scorching his clothes and his flesh.

He screamed in agony as he fell backwards into the river causing a great splash. Kakashi watched him as the river carried away his body. Kakashi pulled down his headband so it covered his Sharingan and stared off into the distance watching the river.

"Goodbye little brother" Kakashi said with sad eyes as he watched Naruto sink under the current,"… you will be missed".

**A/N**: Okay, there was a ton of information in this chapter but I hope it kept people interested. I didn't expect this conversation to be so long when I came up with it but once I started writing it down I realized it sounded short in my head but to explain it out fully would take up a lot of space. I think it's funny that this conversation is longer than what most authors release as full chapter, but whatever, I have a habit of writing excessively when I'm in the zone. I once released a 20,000 word chapter, I really don't know why because everyone complained it was too long later.

Anyway to get back on topic, I know some people are going to be shocked that Kakashi is a "bad guy", but in all actuality it's quite the opposite. One thing I wanted to do in this story is create a realistic "Dark Naruto", but at the same time I wanted to make the situation in which he changes realistic as well. Things aren't suppose to be simple in this story, nothing is just black and white, that's what I'm trying to stress out so much.

If you look at things logically Kakashi by all means is doing the right thing, not necessarily a good thing, but there is a difference between "good" and "right". Kakashi is choosing the lesser of too evils in the situation he was put in. At the same time he believes the ends justify the means. He kills one person to save hundreds, which would be the right thing to do in his situation from a logic standpoint.

Naruto on the other hand would let hundreds of people die just so long as Tsunade would be alright. That would be the selfish choice because he is choosing to escape the pain of loss while others are experiencing it. We may as readers think Kakashi is wrong because we all love Tsunade but is one person's life, regardless of who they are, worth more than hundreds combined?

Would Naruto really be the hero if he saved Tsunade and left while Konoha was dragged into a war that would end up wiping out two or more whole ninja villages ? I know fans always have a hard time with this idea because they let their loyalty to a character outweigh everything else but it's a fairly obvious choice.

Tsunade is Hokage and her duty is to die protecting the village, so Kakashi thinking on just logic, believes it's fair for her to die to save the village, even if it's by his means. In the end that was her life sworn purpose so logically where's the harm done if she's forced to die for Konoha when that's what her jobs calls for, that's how Kakashi thinks in this story. You could say that she didn't need to die, however there is no way Tsunade would have given up control and allowed Root to run Konoha, even if it meant protecting the village.

If Tsunade figured out what they had done to Naruto or what they did do Minato, Kushina, and now Hinata (although this was Hiashi's fault), she would have tried to fight them, thus causing more deaths. In this story Kakashi thinks with cold hard logic so although he seems to be on scale with Orochimaru he doesn't have a single self centered thought or agenda. He's doing everything for the sake of everyone else, despite the fact that he doesn't like the responsibility of ruling Konoha.

If we look at things like this Naruto is the villain in this situation, he's chosen the selfish path, he's turn a blind eye to the innocent people of Konoha, and he's willing to save one person over an entire village. Remember if Tsunade did cause a war both sides would have casualties, so don't just assume only Konoha would be affected, it would be an unpredictable amount of deaths because other villages would be dragged into the war.

Naruto's decision in this isn't really evil either, it's just not right. In trying to kill Kakashi he becomes the aggressor and the antagonist in this situation. Without Kakashi Konoha would be without a Hokage yet again and they are running out of candidates. Although Kakashi is manipulative he is giving his all to Konoha's betterment, can we assume the next Hokage would do the same?

Kakashi's death would without a doubt hurt Konoha in the long run so that's something to think about in the future. I'm not necessarily saying Kakashi is a hero for what he's done, I'm just trying to make you think, which is the point of this story. Both characters fall into a shade of grey in this situation but as the reader it's easier to just side with Naruto because he's the protagonist.

As for Hinata, I've seen mostly negative comments about her inclusion in this story and I just want everyone to know that her current situation isn't a side effect of that. As much as I want everyone to enjoy this story I'm not going to alter it to appease popular opinion, I hope people enjoy this story because they like the different perspective and goals I aim to accomplish with it but I have a plan and purpose in mind for everything that I add or eventually subtract.

I think I've said this before but I don't think people believe me, either that or they just don't read these author notes, anyway the point is: Everything is done for a reason and every character has a role that they are set to complete. This is especially important for the women in Naruto's life. I chose these girls carefully and I hope when things are all said and done you will see why.

Each girl represents one aspect of Naruto's personality/character or his life, or possibly both. I'll give you an example in Tayuya's case since she is probably the most obvious anyway. Tayuya represents Naruto's dark side, his rage, lust, and mercilessness. She also symbolizes his life in Oto and his changes there. So in this case Tayuya is at one far end of the spectrum of light and dark.

Ino on the other had is middle ground. She can succumb to the same characteristics of Tayuya but she tends to remain more calm, conscious, and overall careful. Ino is more aware of the affects of her actions, seems to think things through, and has shown that her ability to adapt is one of her greatest strengths. She balances out Tayuya's impulsiveness, stubbornness and lack of mercy and her presence has come with changes in Naruto's behavior.

Although they aren't large they are more noticeable when he is forced into a position of leadership. She represents the end of Naruto's time in Konoha(before he leaves for Oto) and his acceptance by his peers. I'm going to let you guys try to figure out what the other two represent in Naruto and maybe you'll figure out something about their roles later.

Anyway I'm sure very few people actually made it this far and most people are wandering why I'm ranting so damn much when no one cares so I'll end it here. Thanks for Reading and Don't forget to Review. PEACE.


	12. Rock Bottom

**A/N:** So if you are still here and reading this note right now I would like to start things off with a somewhat longer authors note this time, first I would just like to thank everyone that left their impressions last time. It's pointless to write a story like this if no one is going to understand what I'm trying to do, or some of the points I'm trying to make. From the feedback I got it's clear that a good percentage of people are getting this story. Since not everyone reviews I don't know how well the total amount of readers are doing so I don't know how many people are just completely confused but I'm just going to assume they get it since there were no questions.

Basically like I predicted the last chapter was simply too much for some people, I noticed a sudden drop in favorites which gave me a good laugh. People actually went through ten rather large chapters of this story and marked this down on their favorite's list just to change their mind this late all because of a monologue from Kakashi. Honestly it's like the equivalent of going to see a movie, sitting through about a good hour of it, and loving every moment of it by the way. But then one of the characters is put in sudden peril, then without waiting to see what happens you get up and leave the movie theater. Maybe it's just me but it sounds funny.

And just as an off hand note, I noticed someone asked about Itachi. In the previous chapter Kakashi stated that he was holding back in the Zazuba fight, but he didn't say anything about Itachi. To the reviewer that brought this important question up, all I have to say to you is : You Bastard!! Ha Ha ha, but in all seriousness I was hoping no one would catch on to that so quickly, but since it's already been thrown out there I'll answer the question without giving anything away. Itachi is stronger than Kakashi, that's all I can really say at the moment. We'll see Itachi much later so by then I hope you completely forgot about him so it remains a surprise.

I don't leave loopholes, or at least I try very hard to make sure it doesn't happen when I alter things. I know people have a habit of pointing out the plainly obvious so I'm happy no one was stupid enough to leave a review complaining that the timeline and ages wouldn't add up according to Kakashi's story. Obviously not everything is going to coincide with cannon so don't bother telling me this, I'm already aware of this. At this point people might just label this as an AU altogether anyway since most of cannon is a farce, or at least from my stories point of view.

There was originally a lot more but for the sake of stopping myself from writing angry rants I deleted it. Anyway, on with the story!

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu **

Chapter 12: Rock Bottom

The morning sun seemed lower in the sky than usual in Konoha. The clouds were obscuring the radiance of the sun and there was a chilling breeze that slithered through the city almost as if whispering omens to the citizens.

The village was as busy as ever as the usual sounds of rushing bodies and excessive talking filled the Hokage tower. The same people as always went about their business oblivious to the gears set in motion as they submerged themselves in their own little worlds.

Sakura ran past these people as she stormed the tower in the same manner as everyone else. She was in a hurry because she needed to talk to someone, too many things had happened in the past couple of weeks to simply stay quiet, something had to be done.

She walked the familiar steps through the hallways and staircases until she was in the lobby that led to the Hokage's office. She walked up expecting to find Shizune at her desk as usual but a woman with light brown hair greeted her instead.

"Good morning, may I help you?" She asked without the slightest hint of sincerity.

"Good morning, I was hoping I could speak with Kakashi" Sakura said hoping her request wouldn't be met with too much resistance.

"I'm afraid you have to have an appointment to meet with the Hokage" The secretary said with all too much satisfaction, making sure to stress out the word 'Hokage'.

"All I need is a few minutes of his time. I was one of his students, I'm sure if you tell him 'Sakura wants to speak with you', he'll let me in" Sakura pleaded.

The woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow skeptically but then turned her attention elsewhere, "I suppose Kakashi-Sama may have a word with you but I would have to know what it is regarding"

"Can you please just let me see him, It's very important!" Sakura said starting to get irritated.

"Unless you can prove to me that you aren't going to waste Kakashi-Sama's time I'm afraid I can't let you through" She said simply as she glared at Sakura.

Sakura opened her mouth to continue arguing with her but just then the door to the Hokage's office opened as one of Tsunade's old workmen walked out carrying what looked like damaged parts to a window sill.

Having had enough of Kakashi's rude secretary Sakura quickly just walked through the door ignoring the annoying brunette altogether. Sakura entered the office to see the side profile of Kakashi as he sat in his chair talking casually to the man installing the new window into the wall.

Sakura suddenly felt a tugging on her shoulder as the woman came from behind her and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, determined to drag her out of the office.

"How dare you ignore me you little-"

"Enough Mitsuki" Kakashi said in a calm voice without looking in their direction.

"But Kakashi-Sama, please allow me to rid you of this annoyance. It was my fault she was able to make it this far in the first place" Mitsuki said shamefully.

"It's fine, I'll deal with this personally. You just go back to your job and I'll see you again at lunchtime" Kakashi said as his chair spun around slowly so that he was facing Sakura.

"As you wish" She said with a small bow before leaving.

Kakashi looked over at his workman with a warm smile "I'm sorry but could you please excuse us for a moment"

"Of course, I need to get a few things anyway so I'll be back in fifteen minutes of so" he said as he headed towards the door.

Sakura shot a dirty look back at Mitsuki as she held the door open for the workman before leaving herself but then turned her attention back to Kakashi.

"Take a seat" He said in a commanding voice.

Sakura did as instructed and immediately began to speak, "Kakashi-Sensei, I'm sorry to barge in like this but-"

"Don't call me that anymore" Kakashi interrupted.

"What?" Sakura asked confused as he completely derailed her train of thought.

"There is no point referring to me as your sensei anymore, please just call me Kakashi" He corrected with a chilling hint of irritation.

"Um..yes..Kakashi I want to discuss with you the news of what happened last night" Sakura said as she seemed to get more energized with every word.

"What about it?" Kakashi said still in the same irritated tone.

"Why is everyone being so calm about this? The Hyuuga compound is in ruins and there was a huge amount of casualties yet no one is saying a word about it" Sakura asked in outrage.

"What is there to say about it? You, just like everyone else have been told the details of the incident, what else do you want to happen?" Kakashi asked as he leaned forward putting his weight on his desk.

"We need to get to the bottom of this! Unless we take action there is no telling what will happen in the future" Sakura said worried.

"We already have an investigation taking place" Kakashi said sounding very uninterested in where this conversation is going.

"But they've said that there are no real leads yet, between you and me, I know there is more to this that you can't tell the public but please tell me! I've been very useful to Tsunade-sama in the past and I know I can be of help to you, so please include me in this" Sakura pleaded.

Kakashi watched her with a mild interested as he twirled his pen between his fingers and he rested his chin in the palm of his other hand, "What makes you think you could be of any worth to me?"

Sakura looked back at Kakashi in shock, it wasn't necessarily what he said but how he said it that threw her off guard.

"You already know the details, we know the attack on the Hyuuga last night was part of an ongoing war between different factions within Kumo. The village itself doesn't have anything to do with the attack because the terrorist were all missing nins, furthermore we have little to no information on what organization they belong to and if it is possibly link to Akatsuki or not" Kakashi recited as if he had been repeating that same speech all day.

"Why would they be involved with Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

"Danzou has ties to some of the members of Akatsuki as well as information on the surviving Jinchuriki, mainly Gaara. Danzou was involved with Suna at the time of Gaara's fusion with the one tail so he had access to information not even Sarutobi had" Kakashi explained.

"I didn't know we were on peaceful terms with Suna at that time" Sakura said confused.

"We weren't, Danzou was acting as a spy. His mission was to collect information on their techniques in sealing a Bijuu and to assassinate Gaara if it became obvious that they would succeed. He failed the mission but brought valuable information on Gaara and the one tail's capabilities with him. Over the years he has worked out bits of information on Jinchuriki in general but that's a story for another time" Kakashi said as he started to get back to work filling out papers.

"If that's true then why wouldn't they attack Gaara now as well, it seemed to be out of their way to attack Danzou and Hiashi? Plus why was Danzou at the Hyuuga compound at such an odd time?" Sakura asked.

"If we knew everything now we would have dealt with the criminals, besides that is just a possibility. The radicals from Kumo could be operation under many different dangerous organizations, it's only been twelve hours since the incident, give this some time" Kakashi said as he continued to work.

"Why was Hiashi a target then, I've heard about the failed kidnapping of Hinata by Kumo years ago and that's how Neji's father was executed but why would they come back for Hiashi?" Sakura asked.

"Kumo has always held a grudge towards the Hyuuga clan for some reason or another, since we are in a time of peace they wouldn't do anything as a nation but terrorist would go as far as to break peace for an old feud. It's a speculation but it seems to be the closest to the actual truth from the information we've gathered" Kakashi said.

"How come no one helped them, there was a ton of noise and everyone heard it but the ANBU came and restricted everyone from leaving their homes. Not only that but the surrounded the Compound but only to keep everyone away from it, they didn't help those inside" Sakura asked.

"We were fighting them within the compound and we didn't want anyone besides the ANBU involved. We tried to capture some of them to interrogate but the battle called for extreme force and all the attackers were killed" Kakashi said.

"I see…well there's something else I wanted to talk to you about" Sakura said timidly.

"What?" Kakashi said in irritation as he stopped writing and slammed his pen against the desk.

Sakura looked at him and she could see that his patience was dwindling but she couldn't understand why. She had known Kakashi for so many years but she never thought he would be someone that was so impatient and temperamental in the morning.

"I want to see Tsunade's body" Sakura said holding her breath for a positive answer.

"No" Kakashi said without thinking as he turned his gaze away from her.

"Why not?! You can't honestly tell me you believe that Tsunade passed away without a third party having something to do with it. I just want to see for myself, I know Tsunade would never overlook something so simple as a health risk to her own jutus" Sakura pleaded.

"You're too emotional and are in no condition to see something so grim. Women have such weak stomachs and although you talk big now you'll crumble in the presence of the body" Kakashi said.

"I've examined hundreds of dead bodies before, I can definitely handle it!" Sakura said sounding very offended by Kakashi's remark.

"But have you ever looked at the dead body of someone that was close to you? It's a completely different matter when it's someone you've never seen actually breathing, but to look into the eyes of someone you cared for only to see the cold, stiff, lifeless expression of death, can you really handle that?" Kakashi asked as he looked Sakura in the eyes.

"I'm willing to force myself to for the sake of Tsunade" Sakura declared.

"You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me" Kakashi said dismissively.

"How about Shizune, you have faith in her right?" Sakura asked desperately.

"Shizune isn't here" Kakashi said.

"Oh that's right, where is she right now?" Sakura asked.

"I gave her a vacation, she had been extremely overworked and there was no way she could continue on working after Tsunade's death without a break of some sort. I didn't want to say anything publically but she had been suffering from extreme depression since Tsunade's death. She's in Kiri right now visiting some friends" Kakashi informed her.

"I didn't know she had friends in Kiri" Sakura skeptically.

Kakashi didn't even bother to respond as he finished filling out another form and placed it in his outbox.

"What happened to your window?" Sakura asked as she eyed the damage that was visible all around the room.

"Tell me Sakura, what exactly are you looking for?" Kakashi asked as he put down his pen yet again.

Sakura looked at him and she could feel a chilling rush moving down her spine. There was something in his eyes that told her to run for her life but she forced herself to not show an ounce of fear.

Kakashi cold lazy eyes were sending an odd sensation into her body, it was as if he was trying to drill into her skull just from concentration alone.

"I'm just curious" She lied.

"No, you're looking for something, what exactly do you want to hear?" Kakashi said as he folded his hands together.

"I just want to be involved. Tsunade told me all kinds of things and confined in me and I was able to aid her because of it. I just want to help do what's best for Konoha, nothing else" Sakura said truthfully.

"Then do your part and aid to the wounded like you usually do" Kakashi said.

"If I told you something important would you trust me then?" Sakura proposed.

This caught Kakashi's attention and he immediately stopped what he was doing "You know something valuable?"

"Is that a yes, I know something that you would be very pleased to hear although I can't prove it's the truth." Sakura said.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked very interested.

"First you have to promise that you will tell no one about this under any circumstance, and I mean absolutely no one. This information has to be between just me and you at all cost. I'm only telling you because I believe we feel the same way about this" Sakura said.

Kakashi looked at her with the same cold calculating expression that he had donned the entire conversation, "Fine, you have my word"

Sakura took a deep breath as she steeled her resolve to say the few words that she knew would be disastrous to the wrong ears, "Naruto is still alive"

Before Sakura could fully let the words roll off of her tongue the sound of Kakashi's palms slamming into the desk made her jump in her seat.

"No! He's not!" Kakashi said in an angry voice as if Sakura's words had caused him immense pain.

"I know it's been a while and it must be hard to deal with but it's the truth. You don't have to suffer the guilt anymore and I know that's the worst part. At first I couldn't even sleep because I felt so guilty about his death but now I know he's alive" Sakura said out loud as she remembered how hard things were for her just a few years ago.

"You're wrong…." Kakashi said as he sat down and spun his chair around so that his back was facing her.

"… the guilt doesn't go away, it never does. You can bury it deep inside of you but it will always resurface. It doesn't matter what you believe, Naruto Uzumaki is no longer living, that is the harsh reality of the situation" Kakashi said in a calm and remorseful voice.

"but I promise you he's aliv-"

"ENOUGH!" Kakashi said in an echoing voice that reeked with despair and anger, "please leave my office, we no longer have anything to discuss"

Sakura sat there in shocks for a few seconds before she stood up and headed slowly towards the door. She looked back to see that Kakashi was still not facing her and then she turned back around and left in defeat.

As she walked past the lobby she could feel the cold glare of the secretary but she didn't care. All her worries had just double now that she had spoken to Kakashi, she had a feeling there were lots of things he wasn't telling her but there was no way to prove it.

And furthermore she was alarmed at how bitter he seemed to be with her. After Naruto disappeared he instantly became more distant and short-tempered with her but she had just assumed he was blowing off steam.

Now it seemed like he full out hated her and she was surprised it came to that. Up until this point Sakura had still thought of Kakashi as someone who would always be there for her but now it was obvious he wanted nothing to do with her.

The worst thing was his reaction to Naruto, she was hoping that he would be overjoyed and be willing to help his former student but instead he just lashed out at her and denied the whole thing.

Sakura had never known Kakashi to be very emotional but the look on his face when she said Naruto's name was beyond sad, it was conflicted and angry. Sakura pushed the thoughts of her conversation with Kakashi out of her head as she exited the Tower.

One thing had been made obvious to her in the past hour, if she wanted to do something about Konoha's current situation, she was going to have to do it alone.

* * *

There was darkness, nothing but infinite darkness and the sinking feeling of numbness that seemed to engulf Naruto. He felt as if his spirit was slowly being pulled from his body but he continued to struggle, hoping he could find the strength to even open his eyes.

If he could just open his eyes, then maybe, just maybe, he could find the strength to fight off death a little bit longer. The darkness continued some more, spanning out for ages on top of ages but then there was the burning sensation of light.

It was the heavy rays of light penetrating his eyelids that brought Naruto back and with his final bit of energy he forced opened his eyes. His eyes burned with the intense light and it took a while to adjust but when he did he found himself laying down on a cold hard mattress.

He was laying on his back facing the ceiling and staring at the bright light bulb directly overhead. He rolled on his side and looked around him. He was in an all white room which had nothing in it besides the bed he was sleeping on and a single light switch near the door.

Naruto got out of bed and walked towards the door but as his feet hit the ground he suddenly became aware of something, he was much shorter now. He looked about his hands and feet to see the limbs of someone that couldn't be much older than five years old.

He got over his initial shock and went back towards the door where he struggled to open it for several minutes. Just then it opened abruptly from the other side and several ANBU troops in all white robes walked in and surrounded Naruto.

He looked up at them in confusion for a second before he extended both of his hands out in front of him automatically. A pair of chakra restraining handcuffs were placed around his wrist as if it was the common procedure and he was led out of the room.

Naruto looked around the white walls that they passed as he continued a somewhat familiar course into a very large open room. The original men that accompanied him dispersed and he was then surrounded by a completely new set of guards, they removed his restraints and one grabbed his wrist roughly before another sunk a syringe deep into his skin.

For some reason Naruto was not to surprised by their sudden actions and remained completely calm while this was taking place. He looked up at the men that were surrounding him with mild interest but he couldn't look away.

There was something strange about their eyes that he found so amazing but he couldn't place his finger on what it was.

"Are we ready for today's battle simulation" a familiar voice asked no one in particular.

"Yes sir, everything is almost ready" One of the men said with a salute.

"Get Tenzo, we need him to ensure that everything stays within our bounds of control" the voice said calmly.

Naruto turned around to see Danzou standing behind him. He was leaning on his cane and had a very satisfied smirk on his face.

"How many men should be used in today's demonstration?" someone asked.

"Ten should be sufficient" Danzou said as he walked past Naruto and over to an area where a large square was painted on the ground.

"Summon Hiashi, he's the one that demanded a demonstration, and he's the one that is investing so much money in this project. If he isn't impressed today then we might have to scrap our current progress" Danzou said in irritation.

"But sir, how can you be positive that today we will see the expected results?"

"It hasn't been feed in over a week, the Kyuubi's chakra seems to be released in life or death situations and we've purposely starved the host to weaken his performance and make it draw more power from the demon" Danzou explained.

The man nodded and walked towards Naruto. He grabbed Naruto by the hand and dragged him into the middle of the square, making sure he was directly in the middle.

"I assume you have worked out the issues this time Danzou?" Hiashi said as he entered the room.

"There were no issues, it was simply a matter of maximizing efficiency" Danzou corrected.

"Well I hope you have something impressive to show me this time" Hiashi said as he stepped up to the line of the square.

"Today will be a more accurate representation of what we can expect to see from it in the future" Danzou reassured him.

"Where are the targets?" Hiashi asked.

"They're coming, for today we decided to use prisoners we've captured during the raid last night" Danzou said with a sick sense of excitement.

"So those rogue Uchiha then?" Hiashi asked sounding just as please.

"But of course" Danzou said as the door to the room opened and ten men in handcuffs were dragged into the square.

They were all blindfolded and bound around their wrist and ankles but their blindfolds were removed when they entered Naruto's area.

"Here is the electronic switch, when you press this button their shackles will open" Danzou explained to Hiashi as he handed him a small remote.

Danzou held another small remote in his hand, he walked over to Naruto and bent down so that his lips were over Naruto's ear.

"Kill!" he whispered sinisterly as he pressed the large button on the second remote.

Just then Naruto became aware that he was wearing a collar around his neck. Just as Danzou had pressed the button the collar had started to heat up rapidly and began constricting little by little.

The collar was now burning into Naruto's neck while slowly crushing his trachea. That's when the simple command started echoing inside his head, "kill. Kill, kill". He could feel his mind going blank and the demonic chakra started to enter his chakra coils.

"Press the button now" Danzou said to Hiashi. Hiashi did as he was told and the Uchiha prisoners were released.

They looked around for a second in confusion but then instantly started to lash out and attack their captures.

Before they could ever move a whole foot Naruto had sprung into action. He charged ahead at the first captive slamming his fist into his knee shattering it completely before he jumped up and kicked him in the face.

Naruto didn't wait to land before spinning and lashing out with his now razor sharp finger nails taking out another Uchiha's eye and carving a hole through his cheek. Naruto hit the ground and rolled into a sweeping kick as his arm was finally covered in the red chakra.

He cut through a third man's torso completely before jumping back up at the others and in a fury of rage, slashing wildly and diving at them. Hiashi watched in surprised as Naruto moved expertly shifting his weigh and striking with perfectly timed jumped cutting the taller opponents into shreds in a fit of fury.

Danzou watched happily for a few seconds before he clicked off the button and Naruto immediately stopped what he was doing and stood still. Hiashi looked in shock at the ten bodies that all laid perfectly within the large painted square, none of the prisoners had enough time to even level the small area before Naruto had tore them down.

"I-i-impressive" Hiashi managed to saw as he tried to hide his shock.

"It took many years to make it to this level but it was a good investment. Those were jounin level men after all" Danzou boasted.

"I see, you have definitely showed results just as promised but there is something bothering me" Hiashi said as he scratched his chin.

"What is it?" Danzou said.

"Three tails formed while he was attacking, why weren't there nine?" Hiashi asked.

"We believe it was no harnessing the full power of the Kyuubi, but in due time we can be sure to see them all" Danzou assured him.

"Yes, if we were to have all nine than there would not be a village in existence that could stand up to Konoha. I'll increase your funding, do whatever it takes to reach his true limits" Hiashi said before he left along with several of the men in white robes.

Naruto stood in the middle of the square relieve that the burning had stopped, when the button was pressed the collar would continue to burn until he had pleased Danzou and after years of this treatment he had learned to become obedient.

"Sir what should we do with him now?" One of the men in white asked.

"Place it back in confinement until we stabilize the new treatment" Danzou said as he started to walk away.

"Should we feed him now?" The man asked as he looked back at Naruto.

"It.." Danzou spat out vemonously, "..doesn't need to be fed".

The man looked at Naruto with pity but restrained him anyway. Before Naruto knew it he was back in his cell as many different doctors made he swallow more pills and injected him with countless syringes.

After hours of this treatment another group of men stormed into the room and carried him off to a different sector of the facility. His hands remained handcuffed as he was placed in what looked like an arena.

Four armed men took position around him and without warning attacked. Naruto planted his feet firmly on the ground as he whipped his head around, dodging blows and headbutting weapons out of their hands.

He jumped up and landed on someone's shoulder dislocating it before he slammed his foot into the man's head. They both went towards the ground before Naruto jumped off him and rammed his head into another man's side breaking his ribs in the process.

Things continued like that for several hours while Naruto fought wave upon wave of men only injuring them enough to incapacitate them. Naruto watched as the last man finally fell to his knees.

Naruto hated fighting, he absolutely despised it, and unless Danzou triggered the collar he wouldn't kill, even if his enemies were his own captors. Naruto watched the expression of the man as he collapsed on the ground.

He had a look of pure shock on his face and his eyes were dimming slowly as his face collided with the ground. _Is this really a dream? Everything seems so vivid, it's like I'm actual re-living a nightmare._

_What is this place, could this have been real? Was Kakashi actually telling me the truth? _Naruto wondered as he stood there lifelessly as the clean up crew dragged away the men around him.

Naruto than realized he was now surrounded by dozens of men which were studying him carefully. The were different from the previous group, possibly doctors or scientist.

"His combat training is progressing nicely but shouldn't we be focusing more on having him gain more access to the Kyuubi?" Someone asked.

"That's what Danzou-Sama is demanding but the way the seal was created is making things difficult. It's possible Minato didn't intend for him to reach anything beyond his current level" Someone suggested.

"If the problem is simply the seal than why can't we just alter it to ensure the boy's growth" Another person added.

"That seal is beyond anything anyone else has ever done. Minato has crafted it in such a way that it exceeds the skill and comprehension of any of our current seal masters."

"But to say we can't alter it is absurd. We have the resources, manpower, and funds to discover a way to manipulate it. This task shouldn't be beyond our reach" Someone else said in irritation.

"We have several groups searching for an answer throughout the different villages. The biggest problem is understanding Minato's design, we can't alter the current seal without first un-doing what has been already constructed and rearranging it. With the amount of experts we have, we could definitely make an appropriate new design but pulling apart Minato's is another story" Someone said in regret.

"Is there anyone else we could try to consult? Maybe his Sensei?" Someone suggested.

"He was trained by the toad sage, I'm afraid it's impossible to resort to asking Jiraiya because no one has even heard from him in years. Some say he has disappeared into the mountains after the death of Minato" Another person said.

"We don't need Jiraiya, I have a research group under my supervision that is going to make a huge breakthrough soon. I guarantee within 18 months we'll have that seal revised" Someone boasted from the back.

"Ha, don't be so cocky Umino, you've made big claims before but you never back them up." Someone baited.

"Last time we underestimated the difficulty of the task, I won't make the same mistake again" Iruka said boldly as he stepped forward with Ibiki standing behind him.

Naruto watched him in fear as he saw a smirk growing on Ibiki's lips, there was a sick ambition that motivated him. As Naruto watched him the light within the room seemed to grow brighter.

Everything in his line of sight started to fade away as the blinding light engulfed everything in a sea of white. Soon he felt the feeling of weightlessness before the light dimmed slowly and faded away.

* * *

There was a long period of just pure darkness but then he found himself back in his cell this time but things were different now. The room itself wasn't the same as before. The door was now on a different side and the bed he was sitting on was larger.

It appeared Naruto had grown within the time between then and now. Naruto looked around the room soaking in his surroundings just as the door opened and someone poked his head inside.

"Yo"

Naruto looked over to see a man with silver-ish white spiky hair and a bored expression on his face looking at him.

"Kakashi!" Naruto said excitedly as he jumped down from the bed.

A much younger Kakashi smiled as he walked into the room and waved, making sure to keep his right hand behind is back as if he was hiding something.

Naruto looked at the familiar face in confusion, not only did Kakashi appear to still be a teenager but he wasn't wearing his notorious face mask. Naruto didn't know what he really expected to find underneath it but Kakashi actually had a normal face.

"Sorry I'm late but I got you a surprise to make up for it" Kakashi said with a guilty smile.

"Ohhh, what is it ?!" Naruto asked feeling even more energetic than before.

"I heard Danzou and Hiashi had put you on such a strict diet and I know how they sometimes starve you before skirmishes so I thought you'd enjoy this" Kakashi said boldly as he held out a large bowl in front of Naruto.

Naruto stood up on the tips of his toes as he peered down into the contents of the bowl. He sniffed it cautiously but turned his nose away immediately, "What is it?" He asked confused.

"Ha ha it's a noodle dish from a new stand that opened up earlier this week. I heard it was pretty good so I thought you'd like to try it out" Kakashi said with a warm smile as he handed Naruto the bowl.

Naruto sat back down on his bed looking deep into the bowl as if he expected something to jump out at him.

"It's called ramen, it's really good, try some!" Kakashi suggested as he sat down next to Naruto.

Naruto poked at the noodles with his finger for a few minutes before tipping the bowl to his lips and taking in some of the noodles.

"Well how is it?" Kakashi asked as he watched Naruto's expression.

Naruto stood there stunned as he looked down into the bowl as if all of the answers to life had been revealed to him. Without a second of hesitation he threw his hand into the bowl and started to shovel the noodles into his mouth.

"Woah, not so fast Naruto, it's hot you'll burn your hands if you eat like that" Kakashi said but Naruto just ignored him until there was nothing in the bowl but liquid.

Naruto lifted the bowl to his lips and greedily drank the remaining contents.

"I'm guessing that means you like it?" Kakashi said with a chuckle as Naruto let out a satisfied sigh.

"How come I can't have food like this down here?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Hiashi wants to keep you in top form so they only prepare you completely synthetic meals. I know you must be tired of living off pills and dried foods but it keeps you in the best shape" Kakashi explained.

"I hate those things, why can't I come to the surface and eat interesting stuff like this with you?" Naruto complained as he looked into the empty bowl.

"You will one day, but for now you have to remain down here" Kakashi said as he stared off into space.

"Why do I have to remain down here? I don't like it down here! I hate ! I hate everyone down here and I hate having to fight all the time!" Naruto yelled as his blood started to boil.

"Do you hate me?" Kakashi asked as he looked deep into Naruto's eyes, there was a sense of fear but he forced himself to ask the question anyway.

Naruto froze for a second before hugging Kakashi tightly "Of course not, I would never hate you Kakashi. You're my only friend" Naruto said as he clung to Kakashi desperately.

"That's good" Kakashi said relieved as he placed his arm over Naruto's shoulder.

"Why don't you rescue me Kakashi, you're strong, I know you can help me make it to the surface" Naruto asked.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't do that" Kakashi said remorsefully.

"Why not?" Naruto asked as he finally released Kakashi.

"As horrible as it may sound your fate is here. You are destined to do great things Naruto but before you can do those things you have to endure this prison for a little longer. I don't want you to suffer but you can not fulfill your destiny if you can't endure your suffering. When you endure this level of torment you only become stronger, and that strength will allow you to achieve anything you desire" Kakashi explained.

"What is my destiny?" Naruto asked as he placed the empty bowl down on his bed.

"You are destined to be a leader Naruto and you will do great things for Konoha or even the entire world. You will be a strong shinobi, one that will command great respect and admiration" Kakashi said as he starred off into space.

"What if I don't want to fulfill my destiny" Naruto said defiantly.

Kakashi laughed but only offered Naruto a warm smile, "I know how you feel, unfortunately we are both bound to a life that we don't want."

Naruto looked at him in shock, "you too?"

Kakashi laughed again, "Yeah, me too. I never chose to be here, or to be involved with this kind of organization. I always argued with my father because I hated the way he did things but in the end I was dragged into taking over for him"

"I hate being put in the position of power because responsibility always falls the hardest on the person at the top. In truth I don't really know if anything I'm really doing is right but I'm fated to carry this burden for the rest of my life. I always thought there was someone out there stronger, smarter, and better suited to lead Root but there really isn't."

"Unfortunately no one else is capable of bearing this burden and if I don't step forward and take accountability then everyone will suffer. It's like the story of the giant that had to hold the entire plant on his shoulders. He knows if he does so, he is choosing a life of endless torment but he knows that he is the only one that can do it. So despite how he feels he balances the weight of the world on his shoulders, because if not then all those people in it die."

"He probably loathes that decision more than anything but at the same time he can't bring himself to drop the world and end the lives of all those people. It's almost his duty because he's the only one capable of doing so. So as you can see in reality I'm stuck in a cage just like you" Kakashi explained as he poked Naruto in the cheek.

Naruto smiled but didn't say anything for a few seconds, "Then why don't you leave, we can leave together right?"

"If I leave then Hiashi and Danzou will take full control of Root, if that were to happen they would surely cause the destruction of Konoha. All the lives of all the citizens are in my hands, whether I like it or not, I'm responsible for the future of this entire village. That's something I can't turn my back on" Kakashi said remorsefully as he patted Naruto's back.

"In a way that includes you, although I have such little authority over Hiashi I can still hope to fight him. Things haven't been going well lately and I'm afraid your life is at stake so I have to protect you most of all. If I were to help you escape Hiashi would just send his men after you to erase the evidence of what is going on here"

"As sad as it is, this prison is the only thing keeping you alive right now and despite how I feel about this I know it's the only way to make sure you'll get a chance at living free in the future. But don't worry we'll endure this together, and in the end we'll both be freed, just you wait and see" Kakashi said optimistically.

"So we just wait until then" Naruto said disappointedly as he looked back at the empty bowl.

"There's no other way, but I'll do my best to make sure it's not so bad okay? How about I bring more ramen for you next time I come to visit?" Kakashi suggested.

"Really ?! You really mean it!" Naruto said practically jumping up for joy.

"Of course! From now on try not to focus so much on the negative things, when you see ramen I want you to remember the good times we've had and our promise for the future. Ramen is going to be our special little secret so make sure no one finds out and I'll be sure to bring some for the both of us every time I visit from now on" Kakashi promised with a smile.

"Thanks Kakashi, you're the best friend ever!" Naruto declared as he hugged him again.

"No we're more than friends, we're brothers" Kakashi said as everything started to fade away in the intense light again.

Naruto was blinded once more by the brilliant white light and he could feel a great numbness throughout his entire body. As he opened his eyes he found himself laying down on a cold metal table.

There was a bright large circular light above him as if he was being operated on. He tried to move but he couldn't budge. That's when he noticed that he was strapped down by metal cuffs around his wrist and ankles.

He was surrounded by a large group of men that were busily working on him. He lifted his head off of the table and looked down at the glowing seal on his stomach. One man was moving his fingers along Naruto's stomach as his fingertips glowed with chakra.

Naruto could feel a blinding pain as the seal on his stomach was manipulated bit by bit.

"How are things going?" Hiashi asked from behind them.

"We're fourteen hours in so far it appears like everything has gone smoothly" One of the men said.

"Good, hurry up. I expect a live demonstration tonight" Hiashi said as he turned around and left the room.

Naruto remained on the table in excruciating agony as he felt like his insides were being ripped into shreds.

He grinded his teeth together as a final adjustment was move abruptly, leaving a sinking feeling of pain to his spine.

" What just happened?" One of the men asked in fear.

"One of the main markings has been severed, this could lead to further complications. We need to fix this immediately" Someone said in a panic.

Naruto growled as he felt a burning sensation exploding through his body he could feel his mind becoming blank as a demonic roar echoed inside of his skull. Within seconds he was covered in a boiling red chakra that covered his body like a second skin.

The seal masters were all slowly backing away in fear as Naruto transformed before there eyes. Naruto suddenly ripped through his restraints and jumped at the men. Within seconds blood splashed violently all over the walls of the room as Naruto cut the men into meaty chucks in a savage rage.

The sounds of desperate shrieks of terror were heard along with the tearing of flesh as Naruto sliced away at them with his chakra claws in such a brutal and barbaric manner that he craved cuts down to the bone within seconds.

Naruto kicked through the door as his consciousness was pushed aside and the Kyuubi gained control of his body. As the door was ripped it the hinges with the lock still intact it triggered the alarm.

A loud siren echoed through the halls as Naruto walked through the corridors seeking out more blood. Soon a squad of men in white robes came into view and Naruto dived at them spinning into a corkscrew slashing wildly and ripping out pounds of flesh effortlessly.

That's when his tails fanned out and a fourth fifth and sixth tail slowly materialized. They flatted like blades and sliced through entire squads as Naruto took down man after man as he charged around the facility reeking havoc.

After tearing apart entire rooms and massacring near a hundred men a blood drench Naruto stood in the lobby of the facility. He could smell the scent of more humans approaching him and he was waiting for them to show themselves so he could kill them.

The Kyuubi had already claimed dominance over his body and was now enjoying his long awaited freedom as he relished in his extravagant bloodbath. Naruto could do nothing but watch with his own eyes as his body did such horrible things.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto turned around to see Kakashi and a man with short brown hair in matching jounin attire.

"Yamato, prepare the jutsu on my signal" Kakashi said as he approached Naruto slowly.

"Naruto can you hear me? It's me Kakashi remember?" Kakashi said with a smile as he held out a hand towards Naruto.

Naruto roared with rage as he eyed Kakashi who was still advancing on him slowly.

"Sempai we should just end it here! There's no need to go any closer" Yamato argued.

"NO, we might end up hurting Naruto. We should at least try to find another way" Kakashi said stubbornly as he took another small step.

"The person you care for is not in control anymore, that thing won't hesitate to kill you" Yamato said as he started to make hand seals.

"I promised Naruto we'd make it out of here together, I'm not going to go back on my word" Kakashi said with great determination as he took another step.

Naruto then abruptly took off in Kakashi's direction. His chakra claw hung low to the ground as he ran, his claws dug into the ground tearing up the cement as he charged at Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't have time to react as Naruto reached him and the claw that had now carved a huge gorge into the ground flew upwards with tremendous force cutting through Kakashi's vest and heading straight towards his face.

"KAKASHI!" Yamato yelled as he charged ahead but it was too late.

Naruto watched as the claw ripped through Kakashi's flesh and left a huge gash through his jaw. Kakashi was lifted off his feet and fell on his back just as Yamato finished his Jutsu and a wooden prison.

Naruto looked down on Kakashi as the wooden walls closed in on him. Kakashi was rolling on the floor in agony as he screamed through his bloody maw. The blow struck him in the bottom of the chin and steered left ripping through his entire cheek and leaving a large whole in it's wake.

From the left side of Kakashi's face you could see inside his mouth clearly, his tongue was flapping wildly and his teeth were stained red with his own blood. He rolled around kicking and screaming as he held his mouth while blood poured everywhere.

A segment of his jaw bone had been tore in half and he had to hold together with his own hand as he screamed. Naruto saw all just as the walls engulfed him and wooden spikes emerged from them piercing him from all angles.

Naruto could hear the Kyuubi growling in rage as Naruto gained control of his body and he passed out.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes once again to find himself pinned down on a table. For some reason he felt incredible weak and even the light of the room burned his eyes. He squinted pitifully hoping to make out the figures around him.

There were two men standing directly over his head while another large group was focused on his stomach.

"This is ludicrous, how can we end things like this once we've finally made a breakthrough" Danzou complained in irritation.

"Yesterday's incident was catastrophic, we've caused more damage than we can possibly recuperate within the next six months" Hiashi said in dismay.

"You told us to release the Kyuubi's full power at all cost, this is exactly what you asked for" Danzou reminded him.

"Although we ran into a bit of a setback we undeniably made progress. If Sarutobi wasn't so indecisive we could really see results" Hiashi said bitterly as he looked down on Naruto.

"It was unavoidable I suppose, with the amount of damage done from yesterday it would have been impossible to keep yesterdays incident from reaching Sarutobi" Danzou thought out loud.

"He's been indifferent to this project but I suspected that he was just trying to turn a blind eye to our actions. Sarutobi was always too soft, now he's allowing his guilty conscience to ruin years of work" Danzou said in anger.

"Do you believe that we can salvage this work in another manner" Hiashi asked.

"It's possible but it seems like Sarutobi know wants to claim responsibility for this child now. Minato left this child in his care and out of fear he allowed this to happen. If he is incapable of sticking to his convictions when it comes to difficult choices than he shouldn't be Hokage" Danzou said before storming out of the room.

"We've repaired everything back to the original seal as best we could. We still can't promise there won't be complications later but there's nothing else we can do" The lead seal master said.

"Very well, tell Sarutobi it's done" Hiashi said as he looked down upon Naruto while the men around him finished their work and started to leave the room.

"This isn't over yet" Hiashi said bitterly before turning around and walking away.

Naruto watched him leave before his eyelids started to get heavy and he passed out. As he slowly gained consciousness he could feel his body being carried away. He weakly opened his eyes as he was dropped down in a chair with many restraints were immediately locked.

He lifted his head to find himself surrounded by more men.

"Inoichi are you positive you can alter his memories completely. I know you've down minor changes before but to block years of his life away, is it really that simple" Sarutobi asked in a worried voice.

"I've done things of this magnitude before Hokage-Sama, please have faith in Root, we are sworn protectors at Kononha" Inoichi said as he stood in front of Naruto and started to prepare his jutsu.

Naruto watched as several others surrounded him and preformed similar movements to Inoichi. Inoichi then began a long and odd list of hand seals at a very rapid pace as he concentrated on Naruto and their eyes locked together.

Just then a door opened and Sarutobi looked over his shoulder in shock.

"Kakashi?! What are you doing here, shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" Sarutobi asked in concern as the jounin entered the room. Naruto's eyes grew wide as saw Kakashi's infamous facemask was now on covering up the unsightly wound.

"I'm healing faster than expected so don't worry about me" Kakashi assured him.

"The damage was severe, is it ever going to hear properly?" Sarutobi asked Kakashi sympathetically.

"The doctors said most of the damage is permanent but at least the bone is healed thanks to some special medication from the Nara clan. Since the damage isn't going to heal I guess you'll be seeing me in this facemask more often" Kakashi said with a forced laugh but the mood of the entire room was grim.

"Anyway, I came here to see Naruto off. I just heard he's going to be released so I wanted to say goodbye while he still remembers who I am" Kakashi said as he smiled from underneath his mask.

"I see, you really do seem to care about that boy" Sarutobi said sounding as if Kakashi's words had touched his heart.

"What happened to me wasn't his fault so there is no reason to hold it against him. However I have this burning desire to wring Hiashi's neck for doing quite possibly the most idiotic thing I've ever heard of" Kakashi said as his eyes burned with fury.

"I know, I too was shocked that he would do something so reckless with the seal. I knew he was desperate but even to go to such a level, it's beyond my comprehension." Sarutobi said as he shook his head.

"Naruto could have easily lost his consciousness to the Kyuubi! After all this time he's suffered inexcusable things and to think that he would die in such a place disgust me" Kakashi said with the venom in his voice still echoing within the room.

Sarutobi looked at Kakashi with a bit of shock as he saw the pure rage painted all over the face of the silver haired jounin.

"One of these days I'm going to make sure they are ripped to shreds for what they've done, even if it takes me decades to do so" He declared in a blood lusting manner.

"Kakashi…. Are you alright? Are you sure it's okay to be walking around so casually after such an injury?" Sarutobi asked in fear as he saw a side of Kakashi that he had never seen before.

Kakashi had always been so cool, calm, and relaxed but now the man in front of him was practically foaming in the mouth because of his suppressed rage. He was hunched over with a grazed look on his face and a hateful expression in his eyes while every muscle in his body tensed up.

Sarutobi looked sadly at the young man, he had seen this happen too many times before. People, like Kakashi, who had been put in such elevated positions at birth and had always been pushing themselves beyond their limit to meet the expectations of others.

But that was not the only problem Sarutobi saw. Kakashi was literally on the brink of having a breakdown. It was obvious that he was holding back his emotions but to what degree. How many years of pent of rage and anger was Kakashi struggling to hold back and how did he really feel about everything that was going on around him.

Sarutobi remembered at Sakumo's funeral that Kakashi did not shed a single tear. He just stood there looking into the coffin as if it was the first time he had ever seen his father, not with sad, anger, or grief. He seemed completely indifferent.

He knew after his mother died, Kakashi had a brief lapse in sanity. He went into a complete state of shock followed by intense depression and then rampant rage. All the while he refused to eat, sleep, or even listen to anyone around him.

For a total of two weeks Kakashi wandered aimlessly around the streets of Konoha talking to himself and ignoring absolutely everybody and everything in the town. He would walk into things both people and objects while ranting on excessively and no amount of sound or even physical interact could bring him back to reality.

He suddenly snapped to his senses and acted as if he remembered nothing of those two weeks but Sarutobi had often wondered if he was really okay.

"Ha ha I'm fine, I just am a little upset that's all, but you're right I didn't come all the way here to vent" Kakashi said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry, one day all of use will have to atone for the crimes committed down here, of that I'm sure" Sarutobi said as he puffed his pipe nervously.

Kakashi nodded in agreement but then turned his attention back to Naruto as he forced himself to smile and his voice changed back to a friendly, cheerful yet monotone manner as usual.

"Hey Naruto!"

"I'm sorry but you're out of time Kakashi we have to do it now!" Inoichi said and suddenly Naruto felt like he had been struck by boulder.

He could feel someone invading the deepest darkest regions of his mind and suddenly the voice of Inoichi echoed rampantly throughout his head. Sounds and smells from different events of his life started to bombard his sense and he couldn't concentrate anymore.

His eyes started to twitch and he lost all control of feeling in his body as a cold sensation climbed up his spine until his skull hurt from the coldness. Just as his eyes started to roll into the back of his head Kakashi approached him and gave him a big smile "Looks like you'll finally get to see the surface little brother. Don't worry, I'll be waiting on the other side for you"

Once again Naruto's world faded to black.

* * *

Naruto found himself staring up at the ceiling yet again but his vision was blurry and it felt like everything was spinning. He could hear the voices of people speaking but their words were distorted and it sounded like demonic chants.

"His eyes are open now, does that mean he's awake" Sarutobi asked.

"He will be in a state similar to a coma for the next sixteen hours, this is the time to program his new memories while he's still docile. Once this period has ended he'll be fully conscious again" Inoichi explained to them.

"Good, from now on I'm placing this body under your care Iruka. I can never wash my hands clean of this mess but we can at least try to give this boy a normal life" Sarutobi said as he looked at Naruto in remorse.

"Sarutobi-Sama, it would be best if you allow us to take care of this from here. Danzou and Hiashi will now have nothing to do with this boy now that Project Iron Fox has been disbanded." Inoichi said.

"I see, well I spoke with Kakashi and as the unacknowledged head of Root he has given me some information on how to handle this from here on out. Iruka I'm appointing you to be a teacher at the academy" Sarutobi declared.

"A teacher, why me?" Iruka asked confused.

"You are to look out for the boy, which means being with him as much as possible. Surely a seal expert like yourself could be a decent teacher to young children" Sarutobi said with a chuckle.

"As you wish, I'm just surprised that I've been given such a responsibility, but I will gladly do my duty. Part of this is my fault as well, it's only fair" Iruka said as he looked over at Naruto.

"Good, well I'll leave the rest to you two" Sarutobi said as he turned around and exited through the window.

"Inoichi make sure the doors are locked" Iruka said as he kneeled next to Naruto.

"Your name is Naruto Uzumaki, you are an orphan who has always live in Konoha. You love Konoha and you want to stay and protect the people that live here. Whatever you do, do not ask about your parents." Iruka whispered into Naruto's ear.

"Iruka make sure to thoroughly set up his identity, we can't have him asking too many questions or uncovering the truth." Inoichi reminded him.

"Okay, I will" Iruka thought out loud as he remained silent for a minute.

"People in this village or mean to you and ignore you, you want them to pay attention to you. You like to play pranks on people and you'll do anything to get people to notice you. If something makes someone mad, just do it more often and people will take notice of you" Iruka lied to him.

"You don't have any friends in this village yet, your only people you can trust are Iruka Umino and our Hokage, Sarutobi-Sama. You love and respect these two people, everyone else is not to be trusted above them"

"When you awake, you'll be in your apartment. You live by yourself here while Sarutobi-Sama gives you a monthly allowance and soon you'll be entering the academy to become a ninja. You don't want to show off and draw too much attention to yourself so don't try at all. The important thing is that you have fun"

"Goof off in class and skip school so you don't become too advanced over the other students. Whatever you do, don't do well in school, it will make your life harder than it needs to be"

"What you really want to do is protect this village, that's the most important thing to you, and someday you will work hard enough to become Hokage" Iruka said.

"That should be good enough, when he awakes make sure to greet him outside and reinforce what you've told him" Inoichi said.

"Alright.." Iruka said guiltily as he stood up and walked away from Naruto "..but don't you get the dreadful feeling like what we're doing here will have dire consequences?"

"We're doing what is best for Konoha, nothing else" Inoichi said simply.

"Still… I just have a feeling like we can't keep this hidden forever" Iruka said as he looked back at Naruto.

"You shouldn't be so frightened for the future, we are taking the burden for the good of the citizens. Don't let doubt shaken your resolve." Inoichi said before he went around the room and unlocked the doors and windows.

"This isn't want I want. I only joined Root because it held the most prominent seal masters of Konoha. I thought I would get a chance to improve my skills and make history but instead we're just toying with an innocent boy's life. How can this ever end up peacefully?" Iruka said in dismay as the guilt seem to grow worse with every second he spent looking at Naruto.

"You're new to Root so it's expected that you'll have a weak stomach but it's always necessary that we continue to work like this. You gained what you wanted right? You were taught ancient secrets of the great scroll master and you even got to observe first hand work from Minato-Sama, what else could you want?" Inoichi asked.

"I guess I didn't believe the cost for the knowledge would be so great. You know this is the first time I've seen the boy. The whole time when I was working on theories and making decisions that would affect his life I only did so with a picture of the seal in front of me. Never did I ask to see the boy the seal was drawn on. I let myself become blinded because I thought I was going to make history and exceed even Minato-Sama one day" Iruka confessed.

"There is still time for that, Sarutobi wants you to follow the boy doesn't he? It should be easy for you to resume studying the seal after today. Sarutobi won't even notice." Inoichi reminded him

"Sarutobi doesn't know how we're programming him, does he?" Iruka asked after a second.

"It doesn't matter, Sarutobi can't disagree with the results of this method and that's the only thing that's important" Inoichi told him as he headed towards the door, "I'm leaving, it would be best if you let the boy sleep".

Iruka nodded and slowly walked towards the door after him, he peeped backed at Naruto who remained still on the bed.

"See you soon Naruto" He said before closing the door.

* * *

Naruto forced open his eyes yet again but this time things were different. He could see nothing but darkness but that's when he realized he was submerged in water. In a desperate panic he looked up and started to swim frantically as he found himself back in the river outside of Konoha.

He pushed himself with everything he had until he reached the surface, He came up coughing up water and gasping for air as he tried to force the water out of his lungs. He attempted to swim towards the side of the river but the current kept pushing him.

After a long struggle Naruto managed to push himself and washed up on the river bank. He clawed desperately at the ground as he pulled himself completely on dry land. He could hear the sounds of the forest echoing vibrantly in his ears.

It was like they were taunting him, the cheery songs of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind filled his ears as he lay their wondering how much longer he could survive. He remained face down on the ground still gasping for air as he forced his weak arms to carry him a few feet more into forest, his only real motivation was to run as far as he could.

_Fuck! What was that? Were all of those really repressed memories? So this means Kakashi wasn't lying to me. I actually have spent my entire life living a lie, how could I not have noticed until now?_

_How could Jiraiya not have said anything to me?! How the fuck could he have dismissed the fact that Root was responsible for the death of my mother and my fathers suicide mission against the Kyuubi._

_How could everyone just lie to my face like that for all these years. Even the old man is one of those sick bastards. How can I trust anyone from Konoha ever again? _

Naruto struggled to crawl as an overwhelming amount of thoughts and revelations brought him into a panic. He desperately tried to stand but Kakashi had broken one of his legs and the other was fracture when his body slammed into a rock when he fell into the river.

At this point he remained shirtless, bloody, and bruised in the forest crawling with stiff broken legs like an amputee. He made it to the unearthed roots of a large tree and lost the strength to move his arms anymore.

He remained under the tree bathing in the bright burning sun as the cold water of the river slowly dried from his body. He was very cold and the numbness of his body seemed to be spreading. He could hear the sound of people in the distance and he felt his heart sink.

"Kakashi must have sent his goons after me?" Naruto said out loud with a bitter laugh.

"Alright, go ahead. You win" Naruto said as he passed out again under the gentle shade of the tree.

**A/N**: Naruto passed out a lot in this chapter I apologize if this chapter was confusing, hopefully at this point you realize that Naruto was re-living memories from his past one after another before the series began. You probably all hate me for the excessive flashbacks but these ones were really important.

I've decided to stop explaining things so much in these notes because a few people made a really good point and after hearing what they had to say I figured some things would be better discovered by the readers. To a point I just like to rant so I know I was talking too much but I realize that force feeding you guys everything isn't always the best idea with stories like this.

As a side note I threw in the atlas story in just to help explain my point, I know that's not the real story but I didn't feel like putting too much Greek stuff in a Naruto fic, it just seemed weird. Plus the way I said it fits the point I'm trying to get across so if you're a Greek mythology buff just ignore it, it was done intentionally.

Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for Reading and Don't Forget to Review. PEACE.


	13. When The Music Stops

**A/N**: Unlucky chapter thirteen!

"Speaking"

_Thinking _

**Jutsu**

Chapter 13: When the Music Stops

Naruto groaned groggily as he felt himself being dragged against cold stone floors by each of his arms. He felt weak and he could barely lift his head. He didn't make any attempt to move as he felt the skin of his feet rip and tear under the constant friction of the floor.

"You've been causing us quite some trouble" a voice said.

Naruto looked up just as he was thrown into a room, and collided with the ground before he could see who spoke to him. He struggled to pull himself up, but his arms were thin and weak. There was no strength left in his entire body and death seemed near.

He collapsed after a few minutes of fruitless attempts, but eventually he managed to roll over. He was staring at the same walls that he always stared at. He was back in the room again, the windowless cell that had been his home for as long as he could remember.

He could hear voices from the other end of the door, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Naruto didn't even remember what he was doing, but he could make a guess. He could sense the cool sticky feel of drying blood that littered his body. and he knew he was probably in training before he blacked out.

He remained there just waiting for the next level of this endless hell that he had come to accept as his life. From what he was told he would be nearing his seventh year of age, but he couldn't tell the difference.

The only indication of time for him had been the scheduled events that he partook in every single day. If not for the guards bursting in and throwing him some food he would have no idea if a day had passed or not.

He closed his eyes to hopefully sleep and ignore the pain his entire body was in, but then the door opened slowly with an annoying creek. Naruto didn't bother to open his eyes, but he felt a hand abruptly grab his neck and suddenly he was thrown onto his bed.

As he hit the bed and bounced into the wall he felt more hands pinning him down.

"Try not to move" a voice commanded and Naruto opened his eyes in fear.

There was a man with thick glasses and disheveled dark grey hair slowly descending on him with a large syringe in his hand. Naruto winced in pain as the needle sunk into his neck at an odd angle and the contents were pumped into his bloodstream.

He felt a burning sensation in his neck and the muscle went through a brief series of spasms as the men holding him all started to leave.

"I said try not to move so much, you'll only make things worse"

Naruto tried to stop, but his neck kept jerking violently and the metal collar around his neck was getting in the way, and digging into his skin as he jerked. He finally found relief but then he realized that he could no longer move.

He felt the strength slowly returning to his body, but his muscles weren't responding, and he was now paralyzed. Hours upon hours passed and from time to time someone else would come in to give him a different injection or maybe check to see if he was still breathing, but he still could not move.

Just when he had assumed they were killing him off the door opened yet again, and a familiar voice called out to him.

"It begins tomorrow"

Naruto could make out the figure of the man he despised most slowly advancing towards him with his hands folded behind his back like always. Naruto grinded his teeth as Hiashi stood above him staring down on him as if he was some kind of exhibit.

"You were not cooperative today…" Hiashi said simply as his eyes seem to pour his hatred out into the air itself.

"I don't want to hurt people anymore!" Naruto nearly shouted out as tears came to his eyes.

Hiashi seemed indifferent to his outburst and pulled up a chair before sitting down. Naruto out of pure willpower alone managed to tilt his head slightly so he could see. Now he realized that the guards must have prepared for this visit, because not only was there a chair, but a small night stand stood next to his bed as well.

"You are nothing more than a tool, an instrument for destruction, do as you're designed to do and everything will be fine" Hiashi stated simply as he looked off into the distance as if he was looking through the walls.

"Please! Don't make me do this anymore…I don't want to do this!" Naruto begged in desperation as tears flowed down his cheeks.

Hiashi reached over to the small nightstand and Naruto caught a glimpse of a silver object.

"This…" Hiashi said as he lifted up a new highly polished kunai "…is what you are! There is no difference between this object and you. If you can not be of any use as you are now, you will be thrown away for a sharper weapon"

Naruto stared at him in confusion as the tears obscured his vision and he let out a desperate whimper of pain.

"We had considered throwing away such a worthlessly dull weapon like you, but I came up with a much better idea. You see sometimes all it takes is a littler sharpening, and even the most depleted weapon can function superbly" Hiashi said as a smile came across his lips.

"No!" Naruto cried out, "No please don't do anything else!"

"You will obey your function! And you will follow my will as if it was law!" Hiashi yelled out in rage as he turned around and faced Naruto showing him the fire in his eyes.

Naruto just remained silent, he had given up all hope now, and he knew he was only going to be suffering even more now.

Hiashi cooled down as he sat back down placing the kunai back down, and stared at the wall as if refusing to acknowledge Naruto as a fellow human being by giving him eye contact.

"It begins tomorrow. I've already assembled a team, and they will draw out the full power of the demon by changing the seal imprinted on you. There's a change you might lose all consciousness, but even so the percentage of you exceeding our control is low."

"I came to see if we could expect cooperation from you, but that seems to be beyond your grasp. If it comes to it I will have them erase your consciousness myself, a lowly tool such as yourself doesn't need a mind in which to rebel with. Hatake certainly won't approve, but I have my men ready to kill him if he tries to stop me" Hiashi stated.

For the first time in his life Naruto felt this burning feeling in his heart. Within a second it had taken over his body and he could feel his veins pulsing to the point of rupture. He felt the same inconsolable furry that he had seen in other people.

Out of all of his years of just accepting his fate he could no longer cope with this declaration. Within his mind a sound similar to shattering glass rang out and echoed infinitely stirring up his anger even more.

He had finally snapped, after years of balancing on the breaking point he folded. This was the first time he every showed anger. This was the first crack in the mask that had represented his repressed rage all these years.

He looked at Hiashi with pure hatred and commanded his body to move. His hand shot out from his side and his fingers scrapped against the wooden table top as they glided across before scooping up the kunai.

Naruto lunged forward screaming in rage as the kunai went straight towards Hiashi's neck. He finally looked over and his eyes met with Naruto's. There was a sudden panic, but he was not fast enough to move.

Suddenly he felt a sickening weight return to his body and the newfound strength he had instantly dwindled to nothing. The dim coldness of the room disappeared and he could feel a gently warmth, and he squinted as the bright sunlight shined in his face.

_What?! No, it was just another memory. It wasn't real¸ _Naruto thought with a sense of relief as he noticed how desperately he was panting for air. He was covered in a cold sweat and he felt like he was going to pass out again.

"Master?!" a soft voice called out.

This is when Naruto acknowledged his surrounded. He looked over to see that his arm was extended and he was holding something in his hand. He also saw that the object in his hand was aimed at Tayuya, and was digging into her neck.

A terrifying sense of shock and fear took over Naruto and his fingers instantly flew open allowing the kunai to fall to the ground as he took in the sight of Tayuya. She looked just as surprise as he was, but a look of happiness was slowly erupting from her as she looked at Naruto.

Her caramel colored eyes were now gleaming with joy as she moved towards him to embrace him, and before he could move she grabbed him tightly and hugged him with everything she had.

"I knew you'd wake up soon!" She beamed happily into his ear as she cuddled with him for dear life.

Naruto felt his body shaking ever so slightly as she hugged him, the blade had broken the skin and she was bleeding from her neck. As she hugged and cuddled with him he could feel her warm blood seeping onto him, and he felt sick to his stomach.

'Stop it!" he cried out as he pushed her away and held her at arm length by her shoulders.

She was giving him a very confused look, but she didn't say anything.

"I almost killed you, don't you even care?!" Naruto cried out guiltily as he felt more disgusted with himself than ever.

"No" Tayuya answered simply as she moved back in to embrace Naruto.

"I'm serious! Listen to me! You can't always just accept what I do, I'm dangerous and I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know anything anymore, I could have easily killed you right now" Naruto said as his eyes started to water.

Before he could say anymore Tayuya embraced him yet again and gradually moved him towards the bed he had leapt out of. She climbed into it with him and held his head close to her chest.

"It's okay, my life is yours anyway, you can do whatever you please with it. You've given me so much, and the only thing I can give you is myself. Everything that I am is yours to use however you like, hopefully it will be enough" Tayuya said as she tilted his head upwards towards her and kissed him.

Naruto could fell his warm tears streaking down his cheeks as Tayuya's soft lips pressed against his and her tongue pushed itself into his mouth. He loved the redhead so much, and it only made him feel worse that she would always put him above her.

He so desperately wanted to make things right, but he seemed to be taking everyone on a path that would only lead to suffering. Tayuya slowly backed away letting the lingering feeling of her lips tease Naruto as she pushed him down so that he was on his back, and rested her head on his chest.

"Please don't move until you are fully healed. When we found you Jiraiya said you might not have even survived the trip back here so it's serious" She said softly as she took her finger and traced imaginary patterns into his skin, letting her nail gently brush against his flesh.

Naruto remained speechless for a few seconds, Tayuya's words kept echoing in his head and it made him feel even worse. She had never been one for words and usually relied strictly on physical contact to express her emotions so he truly felt moved.

He wished he had something good to tell her, but he didn't. All he had was terrible news about awful realizations.

"You aren't going to ask?" Naruto said after a while.

"Ask what?" Tayuya asked as she seemed content just lying with him.

"What happened" Naruto said.

"If you don't want to talk about it it's fine." Tayuya said as she rubbed her face against Naruto's chest.

"I charged into Konoha and attacked the Hyuuga compound…" Naruto started as Tayuya remained silent, "I murdered everyone in sight, killed Hinata's father and then fought my old mentor" Naruto continued.

Tayuya didn't say a word so he continued "He told me something….something I can't seem to escape"

His shaken tone of voice caught Tayuya's attention and she immediately sat up when she realized how important this was. She could see the defeated look on Naruto's face as he opened his mouth to talk, but the words would not come out.

She embraced him again and started to run her hands through his hair as he buried his head in her neck and let everything go. For the next twenty minutes he poured out his soul to the redhead, and she shed more tears for him in response.

By the end of that conversation neither of them could even speak. The atmosphere of the room itself was saturated in misery, grief, and hatred. Tayuya sat there clinging onto Naruto as if she thought Kakashi would come snatch him away if she let go, and Naruto, he just remained like a statue simply content remaining in her embrace the rest of his life.

After a long period of silence Tayuya spoke "Master, I think you need to speak with Hinata".

Naruto remained quiet, "How can I tell her what happened? How can I tell her that I killed her bastard father or that the same heartless bastard has already planned her death?"

"I meant she has something to speak with you about" Tayuya said as she let him go and got out of the bed.

"What is it?" Naruto asked in confusion as he sat back against the headboard of the bed.

"I wouldn't want to take this moment away from her so just wait for her. I'll go get her now!" Tayuya said as she turned around and ran out of the room.

Naruto sighed as she left. He took a deep breath to try to relax himself, but he felt nothing but pain and depression. It turned out that Jiraiya and came to rescue him along with Tayuya, Ino, and Hinata and they had brought him back to where his team had set up camp.

He was now in a private hospital room in the same small town that he had spent so much time in after Orochimaru's demise. Since the town was so small the hospital itself wasn't anything special, but he was well taken care of.

He had not noticed at first, but his stomach was in a lot of pain. It turns out that the flames never really went out, instead they simmered down to embers, but continued to burn away at his flesh until Jiraiya had pulled them into a scroll.

Thanks to the Kyuubi his skin had repeatedly regenerated while it was getting burnt off, but even so he still had to receive a skin graft while he was unconscious. With the seal growing weaker and him releasing so much of the Kyuubi's power before the injury, the fox had been able to accelerate his healing rate even more. His limbs weren't broken anymore, but he was still heavily damaged and covered in wrappings.

His legs felt awkward, as if the bone had healed in a strange way and his entire midsection was heavily wrapped up in bandages. The area where he was burnt was heavily discolored and still stung even when he wasn't moving, but he was grateful to be alive.

Not for his own sake, but for the sake of the women he loved. He no longer cared about himself, after remember what he was, and what he went through he felt even more foolish for loving Konoha when he was younger.

It's like his life was one enormous joke and he had always been the one making a fool of himself for Konoha's sake. He sighed again as he let the realization that he would have to tell Hinata what he did sink in slowly.

He didn't want to face her because the guilt alone was too much for him to bear. She didn't deserve to be betrayed like that by someone that she cared for but what choice did Naruto have?

He buried his face into his hands as the guilt picked away at his heart, and he wished he had got infected with the virus instead of Hinata. He nearly cried again as he thought about how her life could be destroyed before she truly experienced happiness.

_She didn't deserve any of this, I am the one that is scum, I was the one that was so anxious to throw away everything on a whim. Why is she forced into being the victim? Why does it have to be her!? _

Naruto was feeling his anger return, he couldn't handle this anymore. Too much was happening at once, and now he was going to lose another lover all over again.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto snapped out of his loathing self-pity and guilt as he caught a glimpse of the busty raven haired girl running happily towards him. His spirits rose slightly when he saw the bright innocent smile on her face as he was suddenly embraced by her.

He chuckled to himself at how pitiful he was as Hinata climbed into the bed still clinging on to him. Her body was very warm and the feeling of her large breasts pressing against him comforted him.

"I was so worried" She said in a sad voice as she released him and looked deeply into his eyes.

Her near transparent pupils were gleaming into his with such an intense sorrow that he felt heartbroken all over again.

"Why did you leave so suddenly we were all terrified when you disappeared?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me. I promise I won't do anything like that ever again" Naruto said as he reached forward and hugged her.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, not because he wanted to get close to her, but because he could not bear to stare into such a pure face and tell her such awful things he had done. He inhaled deeply and smiled as her pleasant scent filled his nostrils.

"You've been unconscious for weeks, I couldn't stop crying…." Hinata confessed after a few seconds.

Naruto felt the guilt again stabbing him again and again in the heart, but no matter what he told himself he could ignore it.

"…I was so scared that you weren't going to wake up, but then Tayuya yelled at me. She told me there was no way you would ever leave us, no matter what happened. At first I thought she was just trying to give me hope, but then I realized she honestly believed that. That's when I started to believe it too" She said as she tightened her embrace around him.

"I love you so much" Naruto said as he buried his face in the crook of her neck hoping he wouldn't break down in front of her.

"I love you too" She whispered into his ear in such a loving manner that he couldn't hold back anymore.

He was breathing erratically as he started to tremble with anxiety, "Hinata I have something.."

"Wait, before you say anything I have something really important to tell you" She said suddenly becoming very serious.

Naruto pulled back from her to see a very stern expression on her face, but as she stared back at him it lightened up and she started smiling brightly again. She looked down into her lap as if she was trying to find the words and Naruto noticed she was blushing slightly.

"What is it?" Naruto said feeling a cold shiver creeping up his spine.

Hinata looked up at him and smiled warmly in the loving way that she always looked at him. He could tell she was a little bit nervous, but she seemed happy so he felt more at ease.

"I'm pregnant!" She said with a great big smile as she blushed even more.

For a second the words held no meaning, but then they slowly dripped into Naruto's ears until the seeped into his brain. His face remained still before a look of pure disbelief struck him, and then he turned as white as a ghost as he jaw hung agape.

"what?!" Naruto asked, still not ready to accept the truth.

"I found out the day that you left, the doctor says that's probably why I wasn't feeling well, but I'm happy to say that the baby appears healthy so far" Hinata proudly announced.

Naruto coughed a little as he tried to force out a chuckle, but it didn't work. His heart didn't just skip a beat, it felt like it stopped entirely. He didn't know what else to do so he just grabbed Hinata and held her as tightly as he could.

"I know this wasn't the best time to tell you the news, but I've been waiting so long to tell you! I'm so excited!" Hinata said happily as she enjoyed the comfort of having Naruto back.

"Me too!" Naruto whispered quietly as his mind raced with so many different things.

The truth was he had always been planning on starting a big family. It was one of his only remaining dreams. But at the same time he never really thought he would be starting it so soon.

He had just lost so many things within the past couple of months, and he didn't know if he was ready for this. His confidence, happiness, and sense of self had been crushed so bitterly that he was struggling to remain sane.

Could he honestly say he was ready to bring another life into this terrible environment that he had drowned himself in? Everything around him seemed to be falling apart and he promised himself he would never let his children suffer the same way he did when he was young.

He swore on his life that he would go to hell and back for his children, because at the time his hatred for his own father motivated him to do so. Because at that time he believed that his father had forsaken him for Konoha, it was the bitterness of feeling left behind that drove him to such extremes.

Now that he knew the truth and truly forgave his father, because he knew Minato gave him everything he could, and he wanted to do the same for his children. But could he really give his child all his effort when he felt like nothing more than a shell of his former self?

_This is my fault! Hinata can't be ready for this, she hasn't been with me for even six months and I already got her pregnant!!. I drove her out of her home and now I forced her into this. How can I even look her in the eyes now? I'm a damn monster!_

_I can't do this right now! I didn't want to bring a child into a world like this, it deserves better and so does Hinata. I don't know what to do now, I have to take care of this from now on, but Hinata is fatally ill if Kakashi was telling the truth._

_What should I do about this? God why is this happening now?!_

"I know this is probably a shock to you, but do you have any plans for us yet?" Hinata asked breaking the silence.

"Truthfully….no. But I promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure the baby is born into a proper home" Naruto pledged with all of his heart.

"I know you will" Hinata said sweetly as she smiled at him.

Naruto smiled back but he was terrified, he didn't know what to do. He just smiled back and hoped everything would work out, because that's all he knew how to do in this situation.

"Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. I suppose you should get your rest now, the doctors have only been giving us terrible news so I don't want you overdoing it. I wouldn't want the father of my child hurting himself before he meets our baby" Hinata said gleefully with a cheerful smile as she gently pushed Naruto down so he was lying on the bed.

She then got up and wrapped him in the rather thin hospital covers tightly before walking over to the window and tilting the blinds so it wasn't so bright in the room.

"I want you to rest properly until you're all better" Hinata said rather sternly, but Naruto could see that she was just trying to act responsible. She seemed all too anxious to play the role of a loving wife and with that cheerful smile it hurt even more to withhold the truth from her.

He smiled, "Don't go too far with the motherly treatment"

She laughed as she walked back over to him, she leaned over and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Naruto felt his whole body became at ease as the soft lips melted with his own.

He could feel the warmness of her body radiating towards him and he felt what could only be described as a calm serene aura. Her lips gradually left his and all the emptiness and coldness returned to him immediately.

"Ino went out to run some errands but she should be back soon, I'll be sure to tell her you're feeling better" Hinata said as she walked towards the door.

"Don't go" Naruto said sadly as he watched her leave.

"It's for your own good" Hinata said with a smile, "but I'll be back tonight to make sure you get a good meal".

"Is Jiraiya around?" Naruto asked as he let go of the only hope he had within his heart.

"Yes, I can go get him but please don't stay up too long" Hinata said with much concern.

"I won't I promise it will be brief" Naruto said, but his words sounded hollow.

"Okay, please get better for me!" Hinata said as she opened the door and left the room.

Naruto let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, he didn't want Hinata to see him like he was now. He felt like he was falling apart, no, everything around him was falling apart and it was his fault for letting it happen.

He was suppose to be the leader, how could he look everyone in the face and tell them to trust him when he no longer trusted himself ? What he had lost no one could give him back, and now that it was gone he found it hard to even think.

His entire identity as far as he had come to known it was nothing more than a product of a fabricated reality made to manipulate him. As far as he knows nothing that actually happened in Konoha did so arbitrarily.

He was doubting everything that had ever happened, every little experience and chance meeting that every occurred. As he remained in the room alone as the setting sun's dimming light broke through the tilted blinds he looked back on his life.

Naruto felt strangely detached from his body right now. Although he was back with the people he cared most about, he still felt empty. He wasn't sure what to do, the people here had continued life as usual while his seemed to come to a tragic halt.

He couldn't pretend like nothing had happened, there were too many haunting images running through his mind. He needed to find peace somehow. He needed a way to escape. He was so desperate not to be alone that he practically jumped out of bed the second he heard a hardy knock.

"Come in!" He beckoned more to help ease his own anxiousness than anything else.

Jiraiya walked in with a look as grim as the one he had when he announced Tsunade's death. His age finally seem to be showing in the past couple of weeks. It could be the stress, or it could be the exhaustion from over working himself.

Either way he seemed to not be in any better shape than Naruto was despite not having any real physical injuries.

"Hey kid, how have you been holding up?" he said in a distance voice.

It was obvious he felt just as uneasy as Naruto did, but for much different reasons. He was avoiding making eye contact with Naruto and stood a decent distance from the bed itself.

"You know what happened didn't you?" Naruto asked in an accusing tone. His voice was low and his words seem to be like daggers that cut into Jiraiya one after another.

"I heard the news, there was a massive terrorist attack on the Hyuugas, the total casualties neared about one fifty including those that died from injuries days later. Amongst the dead are council members Hiashi Hyuuga and Danzou" Jiraiya recited as if he had planned his ahead of time.

"Do you think that's all that happened?" Naruto asked in a voice that sent chills down Jiraiya's spine. He could hear the venom in his voice, it was building up and would explode any second.

"Who did that to you? There was no mention of you so I'm assuming whoever stopped you thinks you're dead. I just don't understand why they would cover it up? Who in Konoha can get away with something that large scale?" Jiraiya asked.

"Hatake" Naruto mumbled out as he tried to stop himself from grinding his teeth.

"Who?" Jiraiya asked in shock, not willing to believe what he thought he heard.

"I said fucking HATAKE!" Naruto yelled out as his furry over the events in Konoha returned.

"How is that possible?" Jiraiya asked in shock.

"You tell me!!" Naruto yelled, "You're the one who should have fucking saw this coming! You're the one who knew what Kakashi's father did, and you knew what really happened to my parents!"

Jiraiya froze, his mouth was open as if he was going to say something in his defense, but he couldn't utter a single syllable. The way his face lost all its color told Naruto that Kakashi wasn't lying.

"Yeah I know the truth now! Funny how you forgot to mention how my parents died huh? It's real fucking funny how you forgot to mention anything about Root or how my dad killed Kakashi's father, or any of that shit!" Naruto roared as his anger towards everything that had happened got turned on Jiraiya.

"I didn't know what to say to you" Jiraiya said regretfully.

"What the fuck does that mean Jiraiya ?" Naruto asked sarcastically as he felt himself shaking again.

"What was I suppose to tell you? That I watched your mother die, and neither I nor your father could do anything about it!?! Or that I failed to protect the people closest to me because I didn't know what to do? Nothing would make anything better!" He yelled back as the pain of Minato and Kushina's death returned.

"Why didn't you suspect Root in all of this, and how didn't you know about Kakashi?!" Naruto demanded.

"I knew nothing about Root, all I knew was that your father was fighting against Sakumo. I was rarely in Konoha during that time. The only people that would have known everything were the third and maybe your father. The only reason I even know about Sakumo was because you're father called me back right before you mother was attacked! All I was told was that Sakumo was trying to overthrow your father"

"Trust me if I thought Kakashi was involved in this I would have done something earlier. He was always with us though; he followed your father around like he was Minato's real son! I would never have thought he would be part of this" Jiraiya said sorrowfully as he pulled at his hair in regret and frustration.

"He isn't just involved Jiraiya he's the damn leader! Everything was for nothing! You hear me, fucking nothing! Kakashi planned everything years ahead of us, even if we did things the way you wanted it wouldn't have worked!" Naruto declared.

"Is he that strong?" Jiraiya asked knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"He has a much stronger sharingan than Sasuke's, or at least he knows how to use his better. Besides that he's faster and stronger than I am, and not to mention more experienced and probably better rounded" Naruto concluded with an ironic chuckled.

"What are you going to do? I know before wasn't the best timing, but when you recover we can take things to the next level. I've thought about it a lot and I know you're ready. With the help of Fukasaku I can make you into a sage" Jiraiya said flatly.

His words seemed to echo within the room for a few seconds as Naruto looked back at him with a blank expression on his face.

"Through sage training your power will undoubtedly be multiplied drastically, and with the techniques learnt from Fukasaku you can exceed even human limits. I've talked about it before, but now seems like the best time since you need this power most. The training will be unbelievably hard, but the results will be astonishing" Jiraiya concluded as he waited for an answer from Naruto.

Naruto continued to stare at him blankly before he chuckled under his breath as a smile came across his face. He laughed more loudly now before erupting in uncontrollable laughter while he sat in his bed holding his sides.

He abruptly stopped as the rage returned to his face almost explosively, but the crazed almost crazy smile remained gleaming at Jiraiya menacingly.

"Do you really expect me to give a damn what Kakashi does now? As you can see I've barely made it out of there alive, and you think I'm going to go back? To hell with Konoha! I hope Hatake runs the village into the ground!"

"If he thinks I'm dead then I'm finally free! I don't have to deal with any of this shit anymore, and I can worry about my own life. Hinata is pregnant Jiraiya!! I need to start thinking about what I'm going to do about that, I don't give a shit about anything relating to Konoha anymore" Naruto burst out as his face turned red with anger.

"So you're just going to pretend like this didn't happen? I know Tsunade is gone, but that doesn't mean everyone in Konoha deserves this! I'm not saying to rush in, but we can at least make steps towards overturning him. We can't let Kakashi get away with this" Jiraiya said completely shocked at Naruto's response.

"If you want Hatake taken down so badly then go to Konoha and FUCKING do it yourself! I'm DONE!" Naruto roared as he glared at Jiraiya.

"Is that really it? Are you going to spend the rest of your life hiding from Kakashi in this run down land? Jiraiya asked almost pitying Naruto.

"NO! I'm going to live happily with the family that I have, and ignore all this shit that no longer concerns me! You don't know what I've been through Jiraiya so don't pretend like it's so fucking simple" Naruto said back as his anger started to increase.

"Then tell me what happened?" Jiraiya asked sympathetically.

"Ask Tayuya, I can't go through the whole damn story all over again, it's just too much" Naruto said as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Did you tell Hinata about her father?" Jiraiya asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I couldn't do it…." Naruto said as he put his hands over his face and pulled at his long blonde hair in frustration.

"I see. What are you going to do about it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Fuck if I know…" Naruto said in aggravation.

Jiraiya remained quiet as he thought about his situation, "Do you want me to leave?"

"Yes, if you would. I want to get some sleep." Naruto said calmly as his anger had finally subsided.

"Okay, we'll talk more later" Jiraiya said as he scratched his head feeling even more awkward than before while he started to walk towards the door.

"Please do me a favor?" Naruto asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Jiraiya asked eager to start making up for the information he had withheld all these years.

"Don't mention anything to Hinata" Naruto requested.

Jiraiya stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head so he could see Naruto in his peripheral vision "Sooner or later she's going to find out, I know this is going to be near impossible for you to do, but you must tell her. How do you think she will take it?"

"I…I don't know" Naruto said in a shaken voice as he looked down into his lap.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this…I wish I could have protected you from this" Jiraiya said as the look of sorrow on his face grew more pronounced.

"Everything that happened that night was because of me, this no longer has anything to do with you" Naruto said as he laid down in the bed.

"Even if you want to take responsibility for what happened, it won't make me feel any better" Jiraiya said truthfully.

"I know it won't, but that's all I can really do right now" Naruto said as he closed his eyes.

Jiraiya stood there for a second thinking of what to say, but it was clear that Naruto had ended the conversation. He looked over at the heavily bandaged boy and turned away. He couldn't even come up with something to make himself feel better this time.

He was the guardian, the elder of the group that was suppose to prevent things like this from happening. He had let tragedy fall upon his first student, and now it seemed like history was repeating itself.

Jiraiya reached for the door handled and turned it quickly just as his eyes finally grew watery. For a brief second he could picture Minato's face again, the man he thought of as his first son, the man he let die.

As the Toad Sage closed the door and walked down the hallway of the hospital he shed the tears he had been holding back for weeks. Things were worse than he thought, things were yet again falling apart.

* * *

Ino was slowly walking with Hinata through the tiny rather impoverished hospital. Her heart was beating out of her chest right now, and she could barely keep a straight face. She had spent the morning out trying to keep tabs on their progress with the town before returning to find an overjoyed yet extremely pissed off Tayuya.

With Naruto gone Tayuya and Ino had taken it upon themselves to police the others. All it really took was getting Kimimaro to do something and everyone else just followed his example.

They had not been doing much but the most important thing had been setting up some sort of base which they seemed to have finally completed. Since this town wasn't too large and had mostly lower class working families, they easily had a good amount of power because of their access to Orochimaru's wealth.

Under Ino and Tayuya's orders they had purchased several large properties which they were using as bases while also investing in the town itself to help it become stronger. The largest dinner severed as an Inn as well, and since the houses weren't large enough to hold everyone some people slept in the Inn while almost all of them came there for their meals.

Because of their business Ino was able to talk the owner into expanding his inventory to better appease them. The same thing was done for the supply store and local weaponry dealers.

The town held no ninja of it's own, but was previously used almost like a factory when Orochimaru was in need of something. Now these resources were being put to their advantage, because Orochimaru had simply been threatening and murdering people while they were spending large amounts of money, and expanding businesses and in turn the town.

It was a slow process and eventually they would run low on money, but for now it seemed to be the most logical move towards building a powerful village. That day Ino had to go speak with Kimimaro about the scouts they had sent out.

They had been looking for other locations with potential, but no where seemed to be better than their current location. Since the town they were in was the only one thriving after the death of Orochimaru they were attracting villagers from other small communities as well.

If things went well they could actually use this to their advantage later. To help Naruto's cause Ino worked as hard as she could. Tayuya was useful to a degree, but she acted more like a military leader than anything else.

All she would ever do was yell and threaten everyone, even when times called for negotiations with civilians. That's why Ino took it upon herself to handle the more fragile matters. She had just gotten back from a tiring day to hear the great news that Naruto had woken up.

At first she was ecstatic and nearly trampled Tayuya to run and go see her lover, but Tayuya grabbed her before she could do so. Ino wasn't going to pay the redhead any attention, but then she saw the serious and dismal look on her face so she stopped immediately.

Tayuya took her aside without saying a word, and once they were somewhere isolated she spilled the beans. Ino had never seen Tayuya so furious, and the redhead recited everything that Naruto had told her without skipping even the most mundane detail.

Ino just stared at her with a blank expression for a while as she forced herself to stomach the story, but once she heard the name Inoichi she felt like she would vomit. She had never felt more disgusted with Konoha before in her life, but when she knew that even her family was involved she couldn't bear to face Tayuya.

She had changed so much over the past couple of years, and at this point she thought she was a completely different person, but she was wrong. For just a brief moment she reverted back to her old self.

She got scared and lost confidence, and without really knowing what to do broke down in tears. Tayuya was surprisingly considerate, and held her lovingly as she wept for Naruto, for his family that he had never known, and for herself because her father had been one of the many nails in his coffin.

Inoichi was one of the many men that destroyed his life in the name of Konoha. For the pride of their clan and for the pride of their village these men would make any sacrifice, even if it was not theirs to make.

The older generation of Konoha had been tainted with blood because of what they had endured. The men that held all the power had greed and pride in their hearts because of what they were taught when they were young, and want they desire.

Ino always remember her father telling her how easy they had it, how everything was just fun and games for their generation because of the sacrifices of his generation made. He was always talking about how they had done so many great things for the peace and security Konoha enjoyed today.

Was this the price of peace? Did the few have to suffer tremendously for the sake of the many? Were these really the means of how "great men" protected their home? Ino would sometimes wonder about the wars her father would talk about, and asked him if they were real.

His stories were always so dark and twisted that Ino found it hard to believe that these villages were so friendly with them now. She knew her father especially hated Suna, he had hours upon hours of evil deeds that he would say Suna committed.

But to Ino, who grew up when Suna was on peaceful terms and then eventually became great allies due to Naruto, couldn't comprehend the brutality of these events. It seemed like they were talking about two different worlds.

Now it made sense though, if they were blind to what the other villages were doing then what was to stop them from being blind to their own village. If other ninjas were doing such heinous acts, what was Konoha doing ?

They were all the same, the conniving, manipulative, hateful, intolerant, self-righteous, old generation that now had control. Now matter what village, they were all the same kind of bastard, and it made Ino sick to her stomach.

She intense sickly feeling in her stomach started the second she heard how they treated Naruto, and even after the story was finished it wouldn't go away. Then she heard about Hinata and she felt even worse, she was conflicted between revulsion and overwhelming anger.

She couldn't stand it any longer, but then Tayuya told her that Hinata didn't know. Ino's first reaction was outrage, but then she realized how hard this had to be for Naruto. She wouldn't want to be the one to tell Hinata such horrible news, but at the same time Naruto could not keep it away from her.

In all honestly Ino was truly afraid to see Hinata's reaction, but there was no easy way to go about this other than just telling her. Of course she recognized that it wasn't her place to tell Hinata this so she would wait for Naruto to do so.

That's what made this visit even worse. Not only did she have to face Naruto when she felt ridden with guilt for her fathers actions, but she had to do so with Hinata right next to her.

It was getting late and Hinata had insisted that she needed to take care of Naruto so there was no going around it since Ino needed to talk to him too. She really didn't want to be in this situation, but she couldn't avoid it, the faster she got it over with the better.

She still wanted to see Naruto and despite the circumstances she was happy that they could all be together. Ino took a deep breath as Hinata opened the door and walked into the room in front of her.

She could hear Hinata happily announcing their entrance and Naruto's voice greeting her lovingly. Ino took her first step into the room and saw her lover's blue eyes for the first time in weeks.

He was smiling as Hinata approached him with a tray loaded with food, but there was something terribly wrong. At first Ino could not put her finger on it, but it always seem to stick out when she looked directly into his eyes.

His eyes were cold, they seemed to be less bright than before and behind the happy laugh she could hear crying. She stood in the back of the room as Hinata sat in the bed with him and they talked together happily.

It seemed like she was watching a scene out of a dream, for some reason it just didn't seem real to her.

"C'mon now open up!" Hinata said as she lifted a spoon towards Naruto's face.

"Aww Hinata! I can eat it myself I'm not that broken" Naruto said with a laugh as he tried to take the spoon from her.

"No! I'm not letting you do anything until you are feeling better, now open up!" She said rather commandingly.

Naruto sighed before he opened his mouth wide and Hinata put the spoon inside.

"Good! Now if you don't finish your soup you won't be able to eat your fish" She said with delight as Naruto took another spoonful of the hot soup into his mouth.

As he sat there eating his eyes turned to Ino and she felt her heart jump. She had entered the room and immediately hid in the back without making any attempt to speak to him. She was feeling very nervous and heartbroken at the same time, and she no longer knew what to do.

She felt like she was interrupting a touchy moment between Naruto and Hinata, but it was too late now to leave. Hinata finally noticed that Naruto was looking at Ino and she turned around to find the blonde still in the corner.

"Hey, what are you doing? Come over here" Hinata said confused as she moved over and patted on a spot on the bed for Ino.

Ino walked over feeling more and more nervous with each step and quietly sat down besides her.

"Hello Master" Ino said timidly without really knowing what else to say.

"Hello Ino" Naruto said with a smile as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Ino flinched at the feeling of his cold lips pressing against her warm cheek, but she only felt embarrassed for doing so afterward. She sat there without a word and watched as Hinata happily feed Naruto and he playfully put up resistance with every other bite.

"Naruto!" Hinata giggled playfully as he attempted to bypass the spoon altogether and nibble on her ear.

"What?" He asked with a laugh as he moved towards her neck this time.

"You have to behave yourself, you shouldn't be doing any of that until your feeling better" Hinata said as she struggled not to laugh as Naruto's tongue tickled her.

"What's 'any of that' ?" Naruto asked as he played dumb and grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.

Ino watched as Naruto started to kiss her rather passionately for several minutes before Hinata pulled away.

"We shouldn't do this here" She said appearing to be very embarrassed that Ino had been watching them the whole time.

"Okay" Naruto said sounding somewhat relieved.

"Well I think we should go so you can get your rest" Hinata said, and then she stopped to look over at Ino who had a very depressing look on her face.

Hinata leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You have barely spoken to him, I'm going to leave and go help Tayuya with the work before going to bed so you can have some time with him. Please try to cheer him up" she said before getting up.

"Behave!" Hinata said with a fake stern scowl as she moved towards the door.

"Ha ha I will!" Naruto said with a smile.

Ino watched him as he made a few flirty comments to Hinata while she attempted to leave. He kept smiling, but there was something about his expression that seemed so hollow.

"Okay, Goodnight" Hinata said as she blew him a kiss and finally left the room.

Ino looked at Naruto as he waved goodbye to her. The second the door closed the look of happiness on his face disintegrated. The forced fake smile he had been wearing so proudly in front of Hinata crumpled away, and his eyes seem to grow darker than they already had been.

It was such an awful shift that Ino felt even worse. He turned to her slowly with such an apathetic look on his face that made her feel like her worst fears were right.

"Tayuya told you, didn't she?" He asked, but his voice was low and without emotion.

Ino looked into his dulling blue eyes that seemed to be screaming in sorrow and embraced him suddenly.

"I don't know what to say! I just can't believe all of that is true" She said as she found herself releasing all her pent up emotions through the warm salty tears that erupted from her light blue eyes.

He didn't say anything he simply remained there, but Ino pulled away after a few seconds. His body was cold, it felt hard and stiff, and when she looked into his eyes again she saw nothing.

His mask of normalcy wasn't for her, it was only for Hinata. For Hinata he would easily bear through the pain and grit his teeth to force a happy smile, but for her, she got this. She looked into his pale face and her sorrow doubled.

His sickly demeanor and empty expression just made it harder for Ino to accept. She wanted Naruto back. She wanted him to be happy again, and for them to live in peace. All she wanted now was for them to be happy together, but ever since his fight with Sasuke things had been like this.

At first she was fine with his moodiness and self pity, but now she looked at him and she saw a destroyed person. He was no longer sulking about losing to a rival, he was crying because he lost almost everything.

The only things he had now were the three loving women he had taken into his life. Everything else was not his to begin with, or was just another lie. Ino realized this and she couldn't expect anything from him then what she saw now.

She hated herself for wanting Naruto to be his normal self, because she knew that was impossible given the current situation, and she hated herself for not being able to help him.

After years of abandoning this horrible feeling it had grown back again. Slowly inside of her the last scrap of the emotion she nearly defeated sprouted up again. The devastating feeling of helplessness took her over.

This was the reason she was so desperate to leave Konoha. To avoid this feeling she had chosen to flee with Naruto and become stronger. She wanted to completely reinvent herself so that she would never be plagued by that feeling again.

And just when she felt like she had triumphed, reality ripped her from her throne and dropped her into the depths of hell.

"Don't cry, I'm still alive aren't I?" Naruto said in a stoic tone as he sighed in exhaustion and leaned back.

"How can you expect me to be so calm about this? I don't even know how to handle this!" Ino said as her frustration returned.

"Just tell me what you're planning?" Ino asked as she moved closer towards him.

"I don't know, I need to find a place where Kakashi can't find me" Naruto said.

"You don't mean we're going to run, do you? We can't afford to run away when we're already in the depths of Oto" Ino said confused.

"What are you saying" Naruto asked as his voice seemed to hold a lingering growl.

"I can't forgive Kakashi for what he has done, we can't let him get away with this. He has to die! We have a good amount of shinobi left, along with Jiraiya and I'm positive we can get aid from Gaara after we expose the truth so we can definitely stop him!" Ino said as her anger returned.

Before she knew it she was pushed out of the bed violently, and her back slammed against the wall. Naruto was on top of her as he held her tightly by the shoulders to the point where his nails dug into her skin.

"We are NOT going to go after Kakashi! Under no fucking circumstance are we going to expose ourselves to get a shot at that bastard! I don't fucking care who else he kills, I am not going back!" Naruto snarled at her with wild eyes.

Naruto was only inches away from Ino's face, but he was practically screaming. She looked back at him in pain as she saw such a crazed expression on his face.

His eyes were wide and all life behind them had vanished, his teeth were bare and the fangs she had seen so many times shined in front of her like a reminder of what lurked inside of him. Ino wasn't concerned with his reaction, or how quick he was to yell at her, no, those things were petty.

It was what she saw in his eyes that hurt her. It was the undeniable fear that clouded his expression like a thick fog which nearly brought tears to her eyes. Right now, Naruto was nothing more than a frightened animal with its back against the wall.

He was pushed into a corner, so within a desperate panic he attacked without second thought, using aggressive as a way to mask his own insecurity and fear. Ino just stared back at the shell of a man that she once knew as Naruto.

"I'm sorry, I won't bring it up again" She said as she avoided eye contact with him now.

He had been panting heavily, but once she spoke again he seemed to snap out of the trance he was in and released her. He backed away slowly before collapsing on the floor on his knees.

"Ino.. I'm.."

"Shhh!" She said as she crouched down and placed a finger over his lips, "You're tired now, please get some rest".

He looked at her with sorrowful eyes as she helped pick him up and helped him into his bed. He got inside and she tucked him in tightly before planting a kiss on his forehead, and walking towards the door.

He started to say something but Ino didn't stop to listen, and quickly left the room closing the door behind her. As soon as the door closed she slammed her back against it as she released the breath she was holding in.

She had used all her strength to hold it in, but now she couldn't anymore. She slid down to the floor as her tears flew wildly down her face again. She felt like she had lost everything, her faith in humanity, her confidence in herself, and the man she had loved most.

Within one day everything came crashing down around her, and she had no where to turn. What hurt her most was Naruto. The man she had seen as practically invincible had been broken down to almost nothing.

Naruto had shattered and she knew she was not going to be able to put him back together. Just the thought that she couldn't save him reminded her of just how worthless she truly was. Once again she was helpless, and once again she truly and wholeheartedly despised herself.

Ino sat there on the ground with her back against the door and wept with all the energy she had left. Without Naruto as her support she lost everything she had worked so hard to achieve. All the confidence and all the willpower was gone. The new self she strived so desperately to create cracked and crumbled into dust only to be blown away in the wind.

With Naruto broken she broke as well, now she was the near useless version of herself that she loathed more than anything else in the world. As her tears steamed down her face she looked down into her lap and cursed Konoha with everything she had.

At that moment something was born inside of her that she had never known existed. Something as violent and fearsome as a whirlpool started to churn in her heart, something that would destroy everything that touched it. This whirlpool was pure and genuine hatred, and with it festering inside her maliciously, Ino cursed Konoha again and again.

For as long as she lived she would never forgive them. From that day forward she swore that she would see to it that they suffer for what they had done.

She remained there with watery eyes waiting for her tears to dry up. Her vision was obscured from the excessive crying and she was whimpering slightly. As she looked down into her lap she watched her hand curl up into a fist.

Her whole body was shaking and she could barely make out her own hand with the tears still fresh in her eyes. After a few moments her eyes finally dried, but she remained dazed as she looked at her own shaky fist obsessively.

Her once soft blue eyes grew cold and hard as she watched the blood seep from inside her fist as her fingernails dug into her palm. No matter what happened…there would be retribution.

**A/N:** There was a lot of crying in this chapter, but it's supposed to be emotional and all that so just bear with it. And finally Naruto is united with his women, Hurray! And this chapter wraps up the "Attack on Konoha Arc". So Far this story has gone through three Arcs, "The Flashback Arc", "Liberation of Oto Arc", and now the "Attack on Konoha Arc". There's around eight more arcs, not all of which are the same size though but basically we're still in the first portion of this fic. I'm only telling you guys this because there is still a lot more character development in store for the main characters, we haven't seen Ino for a while but that doesn't mean her part isn't going to be just as important as Naruto's later on.

We have a long way to go! This fic is my finest work IMO and I plan on seeing it reach it's full potential. I really don't care so much for my other stories, I think a lot of my beginning work pales in comparison to this story, and I've done a lot of things in my other stories that I would never do if I started a new fic now. I've made a lot of mistakes or came up with dumb ideas(most the time they aren't even really dumb but just pointless) so this Fic really seems like my shinning gem. This fic is my baby while all the other ones are just step children, I only love the others because I have to. I'm getting off topic so I'll just stop myself while I'm ahead.

Anyway Thanks for Reading and Don't Forget to Review. Peace.


	14. Drug Ballad

**A/N**: Here we are again, Enjoy!

"Speaking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu**

Chapter 14: Drug Ballad

Kakashi stood calmly in the open field on the outskirts of Konoha just staring blankly at the object in front of him. It was in the dead of night and everything was completely silent around him, all he could hear was the sound of the wind. The wind blew harshly against his ears, and his hair flew wildly as he remained in place as if he were unaware of it altogether.

He had been standing in this one spot for over an hour now, and although he was the only one around he had been whispering as if the trees themselves had ears. Finally he took a step forward and crouched down to the ground as he placed a bouquet of the most vibrant orange flowers he could find down on the ground in front of the large square stone.

The stone was made of the same highly polished black marble that they used for all memorable graves of fallen shinobi who had died with exceptional honor. The tombstone itself had been newly erected so it shinnied even brighter than the ones around it.

Oddly enough, there was no name carved into the stone, it remained completely bare just as Kakashi had dictated. It had been purposely placed right next to another grave that Kakashi frequented every day so he visited them both often.

He looked at the glossy stone with weary bloodshot eyes and sighed, "…I hope one day you'll come to understand the choices I've made. There are some things that we can't leave to ourselves, and the legacy we have paved here must last for all eternity"

He stopped as he stood up and looked over at the next tombstone, "I wish you had the chance to meet Obito, I have a feeling you two would have gotten along well. At least this way you both are together so maybe you can both laugh at how pitiful I've become throughout these ordeals" Kakashi said with a forced laugh.

"You both were trying to teach me something, and even now I can't comprehend what it was. Maybe I'm just not meant to understand, its my punishment for what I have done with my life" He said as he took a step closer to the second grave and knelt down.

"Please forgive me Obito, because of me another person has died. Because of me you died and even now it has happened again. But I can't abandon my mission, no matter how hard I try I can't ignore this power that has been given to me" He stopped begging for forgiveness in front of the grave.

"Maybe one day I'll understand, hopefully before my final breath, I can find what you were trying so hard to give me. Right now I can't live for myself, I can't place my own desires over the responsibility I've been given. But when I do, you'll be the first one I will tell about it" Kakashi said with a smile.

He looked back at the newly erected grave next to Obitos, "Goodbye brother" he said quietly as he turned around and started walking back towards the village. He remained deep in thought as he put his hands into his pockets and walked staring down at the ground instead of directly in front of him.

It was around three a.m. and he was tired, but this was the only time in his schedule that he had for himself so he went to visit the graves instead of sleeping. He had been in his office for the past couple of weeks dealing with paperwork and holding council meetings that were pointless.

As it stood now he could approve any decision without so much as a whimper of resistance from the council members because he controlled all the votes in one way or another, but he still had to hold a meeting just to keep appearances.

He had begun making numerous reforms without a second delay once he was appointed Hokage, and most of those reforms required extensive work done on his part. He despised doing paperwork because it seemed so unproductive, but he needed to officially make documents of the new decrees put into place.

So far he had spent a great deal of time going over everything Tsunade had done and either completely redoing it, or making a huge number of minor changes to it. Everything from village laws, to standards of business had been altered and at the rate Kakashi was going, no stone would be left unturned.

His major focus had been pushing their current list of shinobi to higher heights combat wise, while increasing the training for rookies, and recruiting more ninja for future generations of ANBU. It was a tiring process, but Kakashi had gotten most of the work done. Now however, there were still funding issues.

Expansion of programs and facilities was a great idea, but to help build up Konoha's security and trading routes money was needed. Taxes had been increased because the only stimulus that could change the village's economy had to be something large scale and money was the answer.

The citizens weren't happy at first, but you can't have change without something to start the reaction, and the bigger the reaction is the larger the stimulus has to be. The problem was picking where to increase taxes so this is were Kakashi spent a good amount of his time.

Just a few hours ago he finished making the final adjustments on his new merchant and trade policy which he would pretend to discuss with the council tomorrow morning before it takes affect immediately that afternoon.

He still had much more to do about changing the requirements for promotions of ninja ranks and the guidelines for the academy which is why he was heading back to his office now.

Originally he was going to get a few hours of sleep, but he decided there was no point since he was already out. He tried to clear his mind, but too many things had been bothering him.

Most people had already moved on about the Hyuuga incident, but Kakashi was suspicious of Sakura. He knew she had a habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong, and she was already too passionate about the issue.

_I haven't seen her in a while so there is a good chance she is looking elsewhere for information. I shouldn't have been so hard on her last time, but I could never stand that girl in the first place, and I was having a bad morning. Besides, there's no need to play the role of a "caring teacher" anymore now that Naruto is gone. _

_I still need to find a final scapegoat soon so we can put this behind us. If I know Sakura she is probably trying to get a hold of Shizune, but that won't help her at all so I can just ignore it for now. _

_I should look into the problem of Jiraiya, he hasn't been around for some time now and I expected him to be here after Tsunade died. There's a high probability that he was here and I just missed him._

_Either way he could be a problem later so it would be best to avoid him. With the new policy I put into place last week we will be seeing an increase in the gate security so we shouldn't have a problem._

_Thanks to the attack on the Hyuuga compound I have a reason to bump security up tremendously, now all I have to worry about is Suna. Gaara has been getting incredibly cheeky lately with his treatment towards us and I have to put him in his place soon._

_The way Suna has been leeching on us is getting out of hand, they have been mimicking all of our procedures and training regiments for too long. Even now they have the nerve to request us to send them copies of any advancements we've found in medicine and jutsu!_

_Thanks to Tsunade they have taken everything we've learn in the past three years yet they keep any findings they have to themselves. They refuse to give us any information on the poisons they have discovered or created and demand information from us by using our treaty as leverage._

_I can no longer trust them, besides that they have been sending their shinobi here far too often. I feel like we are under surveillance by Gaara, and that will no longer be tolerated. _

Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks as he realized that someone was stalking him. He relaxed his posture as he walked a little slower and looked around from his peripheral view to see if there was anyone hiding along the road around him.

He sighed as he realized it was just one person and by the way they were walking they had no intention of sneaking up on him.

"Hatake!' Someone yelled behind him, but Kakashi recognized the voice and chose to ignore it.

He increased the speed of his steps as the voice got closer.

"Hey Hatake! Damnit I know you heard me!" Someone said sounding rather irate.

Kakashi sighed as he slowed down and put on his infamous blank bored expression that he wore in front of most people.

"Oh hey!" Kakashi said in his usual bored monotone voice as he finally gave up and stopped.

"Don't give me that shit, I know you were ignoring me" Anko said as she finally caught up with him and gave him a dirty look.

" I don't know what you're talking about" Kakashi said dryly as he continued to look just as bored as ever.

"Whatever! Anyway I have something I need to talk to you about" Anko said with a mischievous smile.

"Well I'd love to chat and all but-"

"No excuses!' Anko said as she grabbed his arm before he had the chance to finish his sentence, "This will only take a minute, besides what do you have to do at this time at night? It's not like you have some woman waiting on you at home" she teased.

"Fine, but please make it quick" Kakashi said.

"Yeah, yeah it'll be quick, but first let's get some drinks there's a really good place nearby" Anko decided as she started dragging Kakashi away.

"Wouldn't it be faster if you just told me now?" Kakashi asked not sounding too excited to be going anywhere with Anko.

"You're being treated to drinks by a very sexy Kunoichi and you're complaining?!" Anko said sarcastically.

Kakashi just sighed in response as he gave up arguing with her.

"You know if you play your cards right tonight you just might get lucky" Anko said giving Kakashi a big wink.

Kakashi just looked at her apathetically and then turned his attention to were she was dragging him.

"Hmmp! Do you even like women Hatake? I've never so much as seen you stare at one before! You…you wouldn't happen to be playing for the other team now would you?" Anko said apprehensively.

Kakashi just rolled his eyes, "the only woman I ever cared about is dead, I have no interest in anyone else besides her" he answered strictly.

"Oh so you've been in mourning this entire time, that's sweet, but you should really start dating again soon" Anko said as they approached a rather noisy building.

"Even if I did start dating it wouldn't be you" Kakashi said as she pushed him inside.

"Ha Ha ha, you're such a cruel bastard Hatake, but I think that's what I like best about you" Anko said flirtatiously as the entered the raunchy looking bar.

"Is there ever anything I can say or do to get rid of you?" Kakashi asked.

"Not really, you know I enjoy torturing you! Besides you know you're my favorite, why would I ever stop bothering you?" She said with a laugh as she forced him to sit at an empty table.

"Don't move!" She commanded before scurrying off to get them some drinks.

Kakashi remained silent as he waited at the table appearing determined to not touch any surface of anything within the building. He sat there with an uninterested expression on his face as he patiently waited for the purpled hair jounin to return.

Within a few minutes Anko returned with two shot glasses and a rather large bottle of alcohol, "Alright let's drink!" she said enthusiastically as she filled both the glasses and sat down opposite of Kakashi.

"So…..what is it that you want this time?" Kakashi asked sounding just as indifferent as he had been this entire time.

"What makes you think I want something?" Anko asked in confusion right after she took down her first shot.

"The only times you ever hunt me down is when you need a favor" Kakashi said dryly as he watched her down another shot.

"Ha ha fine, you got me! Listen I was talking to Kurenai and she said you have been doing a lot of reassigning lately. She told me you promoted her into working in the genjutsu specialist department of the ANBU" Anko said.

"Yeah, to help push our current troops I've started a massive relocation process. I'm promoting most of our talented rookies to more demanding jobs while pushing the higher ups to even more taxing and prestigious positions. That way our rookies can improve through the demand of their jobs while our veterans can improve their skills even more and train our most exceptional shinobi" Kakashi stated robotically.

"Yeah yeah, that's great and all, but I was thinking since you're in such a good mood why don't you promote me to a better job as well? Please Hokage-Sama! I'll do anything you ask!" Anko added flirtatiously as she put her hands together as if she was ready to beg.

"Sure…I can move you to the interrogation unit of the ANBU, they are a little understaffed right now. You'll be under Ibiki personally though." Kakashi warned her.

"YES!" Anko cheered happily, "and that's fine by me, I get along well with Ibiki anyway" She said proudly as she poured herself another shot.

"Well if that's all you wanted..."Kakashi said as he started to get up.

"Wait! What's the catch? What do I have to do before I can actual start this new job?" Anko asked suspiciously.

"There's no catch, just be at my office at 5:30 this morning to sign the paperwork and you can start as early as this afternoon" Kakashi informed her.

"Eh? That's in like two hours!" Anko complained as she took another shot.

"Well that's the only available time I have today to meet with you, I'm booked all day long" Kakashi told her sounding very unsympathetic.

"Fine, I guess I won't bother going home to sleep tonight" Anko thought out loud as she sat there pensively.

"Anyway, I'll be going now" Kakashi announced as he stood up.

"Where are you rushing off to anyway?" Anko asked as she sized up another shot.

"Back to my office, I have some work I want to finish before you arrive" Kakashi told her.

"Well at least finish your shot, I spent a lot of money trying to get you some nice booze mister Hokage!" Anko complained.

"I finished it already, bye!" Kakashi said as he turned around and started to walk away.

Anko looked over in confusion to find an empty shot glass standing in front of Kakashi's seat. She blinked twice even more perplexed at how he managed to do that without her noticing, but she brushed it off.

She had always been curious as to why he never took off that stupid facemask of his, and she thought she had finally gotten him to reveal his whole face for once, but he managed to avoid showing her.

She smiled as she poured herself another shot, "I guess that's why you're the Hokage after all".

* * *

Ino hiccuped loudly and then rubbed her nose feverishly as she stared blankly into the contents of a crystal clear glass in her hand. She was sitting at the counter of the small family owned restaurant that they all practically lived in as she drank to her hearts content.

It had been two full weeks since Naruto had woken up, but things had not taken even the slightest turn for the better. Ino had been wallowing in sorrow since that one conversation and it didn't seem like she would ever stop.

She had barely spoken to Naruto since then, instead she had opted to spend all her time alone drinking. She didn't really know what else to do, and she thought she could find comfort in the warm dimly light room of the dinner that reeked of sweets and alcohol.

She had been sitting on the same stool everyday eating all the peanuts in the bowl on the counter and drinking until she couldn't see straight. To top things off Naruto had become even more of a mess than before.

He was fine originally when the only people he was talking to was them, but when a stranger entered the room he went berserk. He was now completely paranoid that Kakashi was sending people to get him and refused to cooperate with the doctors.

Since then he had gotten into some extreme arguments and even stabbed one of the doctors when he came into Naruto's room while he thought Naruto was sleeping to give him a shot. On top of that Naruto was experiencing a degree of mental trauma which everyone told her was unavoidable, but it still didn't make her feel better.

A few days after waking up Naruto ended up having a panic attack due to the stress and paranoia so now he was on medication. But because he trusted no one, he wasn't taking the medication and wasn't sleeping which was only hurting him in the end.

Ino didn't know what to do and because she couldn't bear to see him like that she ignored him altogether. The only times she would see him were when she had to or when Tayuya needed to sleep so she would take her turn.

Since Naruto's paranoia had become so bad he would not sleep unless someone he trusted was in the room with him. Tayuya had been taking most of the abuse, and would sit in the chair next to his bed all night waiting for him to fall asleep, but he rarely would.

Hinata needed to remain well rested and healthy so it was just Tayuya and Ino and even then Tayuya stay up with him ninety percent of the time. The worse part was how they all pretended everything was much better than it was for Hinata's sake.

Now even Tayuya was determined to make sure not to alarm the raven haired girl by helping Naruto cover every chance she got. As far as Hinata knew, Naruto had been beaten pretty badly by Kakashi and was experience minor anxiety due to the genjutsu.

Naruto still had not told Hinata about everything that happened, and now they even convinced her that she should try to avoid him until he gets better, because he didn't want her to worry.

Of course she didn't listen and would constantly come in his room, but they usually shooed her away after a while. She spent most of her time with Tayuya when Tayuya wasn't with Naruto, but lately she was getting close to Doku as well.

Ino had been avoiding her as well, because she didn't want to be put on the spot about what was really going on.

Ino sighed as her cup was refilled by the owner of the dinner, "would you like anything else young lady?" the old man asked politely as he looked at the face of the gloomy blonde.

"No, nothing else….and leave the bottle" She said miserably as she grabbed the glass and brought it to her lips.

"Yes, well if you need anything else just ask" he said as he bowed slightly before leaving.

Ino could hardly hear him, she was gazing at the glass wondering how many bottles it would take for her to black out. She pushed several long strains of hair out of her face as she tossed her head back and swallowed the liquid hoping it would dull her senses enough to were she couldn't feel pain anymore.

She desperately wanted to run away from all of this, to just escape this hell that she was stuck in and return back to the way things were. Everything was so simple when they were working for Orochimaru, but now they could hardly keep anything together.

Konoha had ruined their lives, both hers and Naruto's and just hearing the name echo inside her head drove her insane. Over the weeks her rage had just piled up slowly growing worse and worse with every passing hour.

She didn't have an outlet to release the pent of anger that was forming and the more time passed the worse it got. Ino was hoping that sooner or later the alcohol would make her forget, but even she knew it was a lost cause.

As she remained there repeatedly refilling and emptying her glass a group of people walked into the dinner. Ino didn't bother to turn around to see who it was because she recognized the voices.

One of them was Doku and the other was Kin, but there was a third one that bothered her.

"Oh hey Ino!" Hinata said enthusiastically as she walked over to the blonde.

Ino allowed her eyes to slowly roll over to meet Hinata's cheerful gaze, "hey" she said as she nodded off slightly before she reached out for the bottle again.

"Are you okay? You've been staying in here quite often, and I rarely see you anymore" Hinata asked in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine….I've just needed to get some space, that's all" Ino lied as she decided to abandon the glass altogether and drink directly from the bottle.

"Did something happen between you and Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern.

"No, I just don't like seeing him injured" Ino admitted.

"I understand, to tell you the truth I feel unease every time I see him in that bed, but I know he won't get better unless we support him. I've never seen Naruto so ill in my life, and I always feel like crying when I notice just how sick he is, but I can't make him feel worse" Hinata said as she reached over into the nearly empty bowl of peanuts besides Ino and took one.

"You're right, I guess I've been pretty cowardly this whole time" Ino said with a forced laugh as she took another long gulp.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, I didn't have the courage to do it either, but Tayuya really pushed me. I'm glad she's so forceful sometimes, she helped me find courage when I needed it most" Hinata said as she popped the peanut into her mouth.

"Have you talked to Naruto recently, has he been better?" Ino asked.

"Not really, when I talked to him this morning he seemed like he went another night without sleeping. I went to go check on him at nine this morning and he was already drunk. He's been drinking a lot lately and I wish he'd stop, but I don't know what to do" Hinata said sadly.

Ino stopped and glared at Hinata "How has he been drinking from his room?!"

"I think Tayuya got it for him, but if it wasn't her I'm sure he'd just order someone else to do it" Hinata said as she sat there pensively.

"I see" Ino said as she tilted the bottle back and finished it off.

"What do you think we should do?" Hinata asked.

"Don't worry, I'm going to talk to them both right now" Ino said as she stood up from her stool abruptly, knocking it over in the process.

"Are you sure, I can come with you too if that will help" Hinata offered.

"No it's alright, you've been more than helpful to him, now it's my turn" Ino said as she turned around and left Hinata to herself.

Ino's blood was boiling again and she could feel her body heating up. If it wasn't bad enough that Naruto was in such condition, but now she had to find out from Hinata that he's been doing just as much drinking as she had been doing herself.

She couldn't handle this anymore, she was waiting for him to get better and if he didn't then she couldn't resume her life. She didn't care what was going on, she needed him better now!

She walked outside of the restaurant and headed straight to the hospital which was just across the street. She walked on shaky legs, desperately trying to walk quickly while maintaining her balance.

The bottle was still in her hand, and at this point she was way past tipsy. She made it to the door of the hospital and kicked it open in a fury as she barged inside. Someone at the front desk yelled at her, but she ignored them.

As she continued to storm her way through the building her grip on the bottle had increased beyond the point the bottle could withstand the pressure. Without warning it shattered in her hand and the shards of glass ripped through skin of her palm, but she didn't care.

She walked down the familiar hallway and without warning barged into the room. Without staying a word she froze as she saw the scene before her.

On the bed was Naruto and Tayuya and as she should have expected they were having sex. Tayuya was lying on the bed on her side in nothing but a long sleeve shirt that was completely unbuttoned exposing her chest.

Naruto was above her holding her right leg straight up towards the ceiling while pulling it against his chest as he pumped into her savagely. He was panting heavily and forcing himself to plunge into her as far in as he could with each thrust.

His hips were frantically pumping while Tayuya was grinding into him nearly screaming in pleasure. Her face was turning red and she had been moaning and screaming so feverishly that she was drooling a little bit on herself.

Ino watched in irritation as Naruto's cock slid deep into Tayuya's soaking wet lips that seem to suck him in every time he tried to pull away. As he plunged into her for a few more seconds he grabbed her hips and spun her over so that she was completely on her back.

Now he tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her into him as he forced his member into her tight hole. He was pulling on her so much that he was lifting her off the bed as he penetrated her.

Her small firm and shapely breasts were bouncing around with every movement and that's when Naruto leaned over and took her right nipple in his mouth. She screamed loudly as he bit down and pulled on it with his teeth just below the point of pain.

Naruto then sucked on the pale pink nub of flesh before releasing it and playing with her other breast. On her left nipple was a very small yet shiny metal ring which Naruto pulled on gently with his teeth and it drove her wild.

Ino stood there patiently watching them while her anger only grew worse.

"Right there! Yeah right there!" Tayuya squealed as Naruto continued to fuck her brains out while they completely ignored Ino.

"I'm about to cum" Naruto warned her in an exhausted voiced as he grabbed her arms and pulled her into his lap while leaning back.

Now she was riding him with the same euphoric expression on her face while he thrust up into her. Naruto wrapped his arms around her entire body and buried his head in the crook of her neck as he groaned deeply and Tayuya let out a very loud scream of pleasure.

They stopped moving and were both just sitting there embracing each other while enjoying the afterglow of their orgasm. Tayuya's face was so red that she looked like she was going to pass out, and she couldn't stop panting for air. Her eyes were half-way rolling to the back of her head and she was sitting limp in Naruto's lap.

"Tayuya!" Ino said angrily now demanding their attention.

Tayuya just let out an annoyed groan as a response.

"I need to talk to you right now!" Ino yelled as her anger skyrocketed.

Tayuya let out a tired moan but slowly dismounted Naruto and tried to stand with shaky legs on the floor. She nearly collapsed at first, but she managed to recover by grabbing the edge of the bed before she hit the floor.

"I'll be right back Master" She said sweetly as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Hurry up" Naruto said as he started to stroke his own cock impatiently forcing it to get hard again as he sat there.

"Okay" She said all too happily before she turned around and crossed the room to answer the other blonde.

She looked down carefully watching her steps as she approached Ino so she didn't fall again, "What the hell do you want, Master isn't satisfied yet".

Ino glanced at Naruto who seemed to be exhausted, but he was forcing himself to go again, she then looked back at Tayuya, "C'mon we're talking about this outside" Ino decided as she turned around and threw open the door.

Tayuya buttoned up her shirt so that it covered her breasts and followed Ino outside, the shirt was long enough were it just barely covered her lower half so she was okay. She stepped outside of the room feeling very annoyed as Ino slammed the door shut behind her.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Ino asked as her anger surfaced.

"Fucking" Tayuya answered simply as if it was plainly obvious.

Just then the back of Ino's hand flew across Tayuya's face slapping her as hard as she could completely catching Tayuya by surprise. Her knuckles dug into the flesh of the redhead with enough force that she immediately stumbled before crashing against the wall.

"Don't give me that shit, I mean what the fuck do you think you're doing bringing alcohol to him! Don't you know you can't mix hard liquor with those pills he's taking" Ino roared.

Tayuya slowly got up with a look of pure shock on her face as she touched the spot were Ino had just backhanded her. Ino had slapped her before, but never was it so hard or so unexpected.

"I'm sorry" Tayuya said utterly speechless for the first time in her life.

"That's not fucking good enough, you knew damn well beforehand he's not supposed to be drinking, and you did it anyway. And why? So you can enjoy all the attention he's been giving you lately? You dumb fucking bitch, don't ruin Naruto's life for your own selfish pleasures" Ino yelled in anger as the fire grew in her eyes.

"I'm trying to make him feel better, this is the only way I know how to heal him, with my own body" Tayuya said desperately in her defense.

"That's not going to cut it Tayuya, he's using you as a way to escape reality and you should have realized it already! He's not here to have fun, he's here to get better! If you're not going to help him do that then fucking leave" Ino said as she turned around and nearly ripped the door off the hinges as she entered again.

"what's wrong" Naruto asked as they made eye contact.

Ino shivered when she saw him. The lack of sleep had really taken it's toll on his body, there were dark circles under his eyes and his eyes themselves were bloodshot. His face looked thin and his cheeks had sunken in while his hair seemed dull and thinned as if it was falling out.

The darkness in his eyes had grown worse and now the once vibrant blue was a dull murky lifeless shade that almost appeared gray from a distance. It was clear the only time he was actual eating meals were when Hinata feed him personally, but she had not been doing that because of Tayuya now.

"Why aren't you resting?!" Ino demanded as she walked closer towards him.

"I'm fine" Naruto said defiantly.

"No you're not, if you have no intention of getting better than I'm not dealing with this anymore!" Ino said angrily.

"What do you mean not dealing with this?" Naruto said as he sat up looking at her fiercely.

"If Kakashi's death is the only way for you to relax then I'll go kill him myself" Ino screamed violently.

"Don't say stupid things like that, if it were that simple none of this would have happened" Naruto said looked more and more irritated by the second.

"I don't care anymore, you smell like booze and you're not sleeping or eating! How are you ever going to leave this bed ?! Do you plan on living here for the rest of your damn fucking life?" Ino yelled.

"So what? Is this all because I had a little damn drink?! What about you? From what I've heard you're too busy trying to drink yourself into a fucking coma to even come see me!" Naruto shot back at her.

"I haven't come to see you because I can't stand seeing how pathetic you are!" Ino yelled back as tears came to her eyes.

Naruto just stared at her in shock, but didn't bother to say anything back.

"I just want you to get better! I can't be strong without you" Ino cried as she fell into the bed embracing him in desperation.

"Ino…."

"I can't do this! You've always been my support, what am I suppose to do with myself when you are like this?! You've always been the fearless one and the leader that everyone looks to for guidance. I've only been able to accomplish what I've done because of you being right besides me. Without you I'm worthless!" Ino cried into his shoulder as her anger and frustration got the best of her.

"That's not true" Naruto said as he held her lovingly.

"Yes it is, I need you to be my strength again" Ino cried into his shoulder.

Naruto was silent for a moment as he tightened his arms around her, "What do you need me to do?"

"Eat, sleep, please just rest so we can move on with our lives" Ino begged.

"I can't sleep right now" Naruto confessed.

"Why?" Ino asked as her tears slowly started to dry up.

"I have nightmares….no, they are more like visions. Every time I close my eyes I'm trapped in these deranged memories of mine. I can't handle them Ino, I'd rather die then re-live another one of those days from my past" Naruto said as he started to tremble unconsciously just by thinking about them.

"Is that why you've been like this?" Ino asked softly.

"Yes. I told Tayuya and she's been keeping me busy, but I know I shouldn't have put her in that position" Naruto admitted remorsefully.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ino asked

"Because you seemed so distant, and because I was so ashamed" Naruto said as he held her even tighter.

"Have you been taking the medication at least?" Ino asked after a few seconds.

"None of it" Naruto said simply.

Ino pulled away and looked at him, he seemed on the verge of collapsing, but he was still fighting it. Ino reached out and helped him lay down on the bed. She then put her hand over his eyes and closed his eyelids for him.

"I'm sorry, but please bear it for me" Ino whispered into his ear as she kissed him.

She then stood up feeling her tears returned and started to leave, but she stopped to snatch the half empty bottle of alcohol sitting on his nightstand. She then rushed out of the room gulping down the bottle along the way.

She entered the empty hallway and made it halfway through before she finished the pretty large bottle and without any reason smashed it against the wall spraying glass shards everywhere.

She felt even worse then she did before she came, now she felt guilty for how she reacted and it didn't make matters better that she yelled at Tayuya. She knew Naruto had to sleep, but when he admitted his fears all she could tell him to do was get over it.

Anything that had shaken up Naruto so badly must have been severe, but without walking in his shoes she just looked at him and told him to toughen it up. She felt like such a bitch for that, but what else could she do?

In the end she didn't feel like she helped him at all, to her all she did was pick fights with both Naruto and Tayuya. Then of course Naruto had known she was avoiding him when he needed her most and had to rely on Tayuya instead.

Right now Ino truly felt like shit and the guilt was eating away at her, she was hoping to fix things, but she felt like she made them worse. As she stumbled downstairs the room continued to spin and when she made it down she stopped what she was doing to hold her head.

She couldn't remember what happened next because all she could make out was everything spinning suddenly as she hit the floor.

* * *

Ino groaned as she opened her eyes, her head was still spinning and she had a massive migraine. She looked up to see she was in her room at the Inn, and she was cozily wrapped in her blankets.

She sat up and tried to avoid the sunlight that was leaking through the window because it caused her head to hurt even more. She looked around expecting to find someone but there was no one around.

That's when she noticed that someone was in the bathroom, and what Ino assumed was the shower, just got turned off. Within a few minutes Tayuya walked out dressed in a tight pair of thin black pants with a long green sash hanging around her waist and a strapless burgundy top.

Her semi-wet red hair cascaded down from her head to her bare tan shoulders and she looked amazing, but as Ino watched her she could tell she was looking for a bandana to ruin her nice look.

Ino wanted to say something, but then the events of yesterday played back in her head and she just shut her mouth. Tayuya wasn't able to find what she was looking for and turned around to check on the other side of the room when she noticed Ino was awake.

They made eye contact for a second, but Ino looked away first because she still felt embarrassed.

"Hey" Tayuya said apathetically as she walked over to the bed and got on her knees to check underneath it.

"Hi" Ino said timidly, but when Tayuya didn't respond she got impatient, "did I pass out?"

"Yep, right in the middle of the hospital lobby" Tayuya informed her as she gave up looking under the bed and crawled on top of it to check under the pillows.

"Thanks for carrying me here" Ino said.

"No problem" Tayuya said still absorbed in the task of finding something to cover her pretty hair with.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I've been having a really hard time with this and I shouldn't have taken it out on you" Ino apologized as the redhead finally gave up and collapsed on the bed in defeat.

"It's not like that was the first time you hit me" Tayuya said blowing it off altogether.

"I was really nasty about it though and I didn't mean to blame you for what Naruto was doing, it was just as much my fault as it was yours" Ino said as she reflected on everything she said.

"Whatever" Tayuya said as she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling, "Just don't drink that much, it's almost noon so you practically sleep for a whole day straight".

"How's Naruto?" Ino asked after a second of silence.

"He's sleeping, he had another panic attack this morning, but I got him to take his medication so everything should be fine. He was doing fine without it, but that was when he was barely sleeping. He says his visions are getting worse, but he's handling them better" Tayuya informed her.

Ino looked over at the redhead next to her, Tayuya had been dazing off into space but when she noticed Ino was staring at her their eyes met. Ino leaned over and bent down slightly until her face was just above Tayuya's.

"I want you to know that I love you" Ino whispered just before she pressed her lips against Tayuya's.

It had been a while since they had even kissed and Ino had started to feel very distant from her every since Hinata joined them. It wasn't because Tayuya and Hinata were lover, because at this point Hinata still wasn't aware that Tayuya had her eyes on her.

It was more because Tayuya had taken it upon herself to teach Hinata about their lifestyle while occasionally hitting on her, but it was obvious the raven haired girl wasn't catching on.

Ino sorely missed that aspect of their relationship, because she enjoyed the intimacy and attention. Plus despite what she said at first, it had only boosted her confidence that even girls were chasing after her.

It was something she hated at first, but only because she was self conscious and was hung up on the fact that I was Tayuya making her feel that way, rather than the fact that she actual liked the feeling.

Ino moved her lips against Tayuya's as their tongues collided sensually and Ino moved on top of the redhead. She tilted her head and moved her tongue vigorously through her mouth tasting the other girls lips over and over again.

Ino started to really get into the kiss and began nibbling on Tayuya's lips and sucking on her tongue while slowly closing her lips around the slick muscle. She stuck her tongue in deeply and licked all inside the girl's mouth making sure to taste every inch of her.

Ino's hand moved up and grabbed Tayuya's breast through her shirt, but then she felt a sudden pain. She broke the kiss to look at her hand only to find it in wrapped in bandages.

"Your hand was pretty badly cut up, there was glass everywhere" Tayuya said as she lean in and started licking Ino's neck.

"I completely forgot" Ino said in irritation as she put her hand down while Tayuya nibbled on her earlobe playfully, "Uuhhg I feel so shitty right now" Ino complained as she held her head now remembering her headache.

Tayuya wasn't listening because now she had slid down the straps of Ino's shirt and was fondling her breasts lovingly. Ino was debating whether she should continue or not but Tayuya had a one track mind so leaving would be difficult, especially after getting her started.

Her thoughts got interrupted as Tayuya pulled her top down to the point were her moderately sized bust was exposed and began to anxiously lick her nipples. She could feel Tayuya wet tongue flicking vigorously at the erect pink nubs as her palms grabbed both breasts and started to gently squeeze them while she did this.

Ino just remained there trying to fight the sensation of pleasure while she tried to attack Tayuya with the same level of lust, but her body wasn't responding. Her whole body felt more sensitive than usual and it didn't help that she was hung over.

She jumped to attention as she felt Tayuya's hand slithering between her thighs and up her skirt. Within a second her panties were pushed over to the side as Tayuya plunged her fingers deep inside the blonde.

Ino moaned loudly while a pair of lips eclipsed her own and the redhead's tongue melted with her own. She had become much more dominate when it came to Tayuya, and it bothered her that she wasn't taking the lead, but she just decided to accept it this time.

She kissed Tayuya back as her fingers pumped steadily into her wet pussy and her thumb slowly rubbed her clit. Ino grabbed the back of Tayuya's head and drove her tongue deeper into her mouth.

Tayuya pulled away and started to lick and nibble all along Ino's neck. She slowly moved her head down her neck and over her breasts before making it to her stomach. Just then Tayuya grabbed Ino's legs and pulled them up so that she fell on her back.

Tayuya hiked her skirt up as she spread Ino's legs and buried her face between her soft smooth thighs. Ino moaned as she felt Tayuya sucking on her wet dripping lips with such care before drilling her tongue into between them.

Ino reached out and grabbed Tayuya by the hair pulling her head further into her wet sex as the redhead feverishly lapped at Ino's soft pink lips and sucked with all her might. Ino could feel her tongue twisting and lunging deep inside her before Tayuya pulled it out and licked her lips up and down.

"You taste so good" Tayuya mumbled as she stuck her tongue inside Ino again and wiggled it around just to earn a few more moans from the blonde.

Tayuya decided to take things to next level and started to pinch Ino's clit with her left hand while she pushed a lone wet finger into her ass with her right. Ino nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt the finger wiggling inside her while Tayuya lovingly nibbled on her lips, pulling them slightly before flicking her tongue inside her slit.

She could feel Tayuya pinching her clit harder and harder as she started to make out with her wet pussy, kissing and licking it affectionately. The feeling of warm wet metal from Tayuya's tongue ring made her shiver every time it made contact with her clit.

Ino felt like her head was spinning, her heart was racing and her entire body felt hot. She could feel the warmth of Tayuya's breath washing on her pussy in waves as her tongue attacked her mercilessly.

"TAYUYA!!" Ino moaned out desperately as she lifted her lower body off the bed grinding her sex into Tayuya's face as she reached an intense orgasm. Tayuya removed her hands to grab Ino's thighs as her body quivered and more of her juices seeped out.

Ino kicked out as she her voice grew louder because Tayuya did not stop stimulating her. Ino lifted her leg and rolled over in an attempt to save herself from Tayuya's tongue. She was panting now and she felt a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

"Do me next" Tayuya said as she moved over towards Ino.

"Give me a minute" Ino said as she rolled over on her back and put her hand on her forehead.

"You came really fast today" Tayuya commented with an arrogant smirk.

"It's been a while, leave me alone" Ino said sounding slightly irritated.

"Well you better not be rusty" Tayuya warned her.

Ino frowned. She sat up and tilted her head as she pushed her bangs out of the way of her eyes. She moved forward and grabbed Tayuya roughly before smashing her lips against the redheads.

She kissed her aggressively before she slammed the girls heard against the soft mattress and got on top of her, "Do you really think I'm going to be rusty?" Ino asked with a smirk as she grabbed Tayuya's wrist and pinned her down.

"No" Tayuya said with a smile as Ino slowly lowered her head and licked her ear.

"Good, now don't talk back to me again" Ino warned as she bite on her earlobe harshly.

Tayuya cried out as Ino released her ear and sucked on it tenderly.

"You're already making too much noise" Ino teased before she slowly let her teeth drag against Tayuya's neck.

"I'm sorry" Tayuya moaned out as Ino slid her hand into her pants.

"As punishment I should make you lick me again" Ino taunted as she worked her fingers into Tayuya's pussy.

"Do whatever you want with me" Tayuya said as Ino released her wrist and pulled her shirt up exposing her small breasts.

"When did you get this?' Ino asked as she lowered her lips over Tayuya's light pink nipple.

"I got that a while ago, if you were paying attention to me you would have noticed it before" Tayuya said almost spitefully.

Ino ignored her as she caught the nipple ring between her teeth and pulled on it. Tayuya moaned out extremely loud at the gesture.

"Its such an easy target now" Ino said with a mischievous smirk on her face, "I'll bet it's really sensitive now".

Tayuya didn't say anything, but Ino knew she was right.

"Did you get any other piercings I don't know about?" Ino asked as she let her tongue slid down her chest and over her stomach.

"I was gonna get a clit ring but I don't know if I want to anymore" Tayuya said as Ino's tongue reached her waist.

"Hmm, it might be fun but it's up to you" Ino said as she started to undo the green sash that was Tayuya's belt.

She got it halfway off but then she stopped to hover over the redhead and kissed her again. Ino could taste her own juices still all over Tayuya's lips. They remained like that as the tongues molded together as their lips collided again and again.

Someone knocked on the door and Ino slowly parted with Tayuya and looked deep into her eyes.

"Hmm, let me see who it is" She said with quick kiss before she got up and quickly adjusted her clothing.

"Ahhg fucking shit" Tayuya groaned in irritation and she sat up and pulled down her shirt.

"Hold on" Ino called out as she finished fixing herself and started to walk towards the door.

"…every fucking time" Tayuya continued to complain as she got up and kicked the bed.

Ino opened the door to find Hinata waiting for her on the other side.

"Come in" Ino said as she stepped aside and the girl entered the room.

"Sorry, were you guys busy?" Hinata asked as she noticed how quiet it was now that she entered.

"No, not at all. I just woke up actually" Ino said with a smile as she closed the door.

"Oh okay, are you feeling better? I was worried at first" Hinata admitted.

"I'm fine now thanks, I just drank too fast that's all. I usually don't drink that much to begin with, but I won't do that again" Ino said as she stood there regretfully.

"I'm just glad you're alright, it would be terrible if something happened to you too" Hinata said as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to Tayuya.

"How has Naruto been? I think I might have been a little blunt yesterday, but I hope I got through to him" Ino thought out loud.

"I'm not sure what you did, but it seems to have worked. When I went to check up on him last night he was actually sleeping. I woke him up this morning and you can tell just by looking at his face that he was feeling better" Hinata said happily.

Ino smiled warmly to herself, "What is he doing now?"

"He's sleeping again, but the doctors said it's for the best right now so we should let him" Hinata informed him.

"That's good" Tayuya said as she moved over so she was closer to Hinata.

Ino noticed that she was eyeing Hinata with that same lustful look that was a warning sign. She ignored it as she sat down in a chair that was across from the bed.

"Did they say how long it should be before he can leave?" Ino asked

"That's why I came! They said they are ready to discharge him since his body is completely healed. Right now he can stay if he doesn't feel ready to leave, but he's official healed" Hinata said.

"Do you think he's ready to leave?" Ino asked.

"I think he's ready, I can tell he doesn't want to be here anymore, but he seems to be waiting for something. I think he wants to talk to you about something. When I was talking to him this morning he kept asking about you" Hinata explained.

Ino sat there pensively at this. She looked back at Hinata, Tayuya had reached out and pulled down the thin spaghetti strap of her red top. Hinata gave her a confused look and pulled it back up, but then Tayuya just pulled it down again.

"I see, then I'll go talk to him" Ino said feeling much better.

Tayuya had finally managed to get both straps down and Hinata's top slipped down slightly but she grabbed it before it could move any further.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked as she pulled her top back up.

"Nothing…" Tayuya said, "…I just wanted to see these huge tits of yours" She answered as she moved behind Hinata and grabbed her breasts through her clothes.

"Ahh cut that out, you're always doing weird things like that" Hinata said as her face went red from the embarrassment.

"Just tell me how big they are or else I'm gonna have to feel you up until I can make a good guess" Tayuya demanded as she squeezed them more.

"No! Don't squeeze them so hard!" Hinata squealed out.

Ino shook her head as she watched the two, somehow Hinata still hadn't caught on to Tayuya's intentions and somehow Tayuya was determined to rape Hinata while she was still in the room.

"Would you two stop it" Ino said as she stood up and walked across the room.

"Fine" Tayuya said with a scowl as she moved away from Hinata who looked very relieved.

"Are you going to talk to him now?" Tayuya asked.

"He's leaving the hospital this afternoon" Ino declared as she opened the door, "I'll be back" she said with a smile as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

Ino found herself back in the hospital walking through the same hallways that would lead to Naruto's room. Her heart was racing again, she didn't know what to expect after her conversation with him yesterday, but Hinata told her things were better.

But at the same time Hinata didn't really know what was going on. Things could be much worse than what she thought. Ino pushed those thoughts out of her mind and steeled her resolve as she reached the door.

She opened it slowly to find Naruto sleeping just as Hinata said. Ino crept into the room and closed the door quietly before she approached him. She stood above him for a few minutes just watching him sleep.

She debated whether or not she should even bother waking him up once she saw his face. He had a peaceful expression and it was true that he looked much better. The color was returning to his face and the dark bags under his eyes seem to be lessening.

As Ino watched him quietly the expression on his face shifted suddenly. It went from a peaceful pleasant expression to a pained fearful one. His breathing became harsh and heavy and he started to perspire.

Within a few seconds his face was gently glazed in sweat as he moved nervously in his bed as if he was fighting within his dream. The blood started to rush to his face as he grinded his teeth loudly and tossed relentlessly in the bed.

Ino reached over and touched his shoulder hoping to wake him, but it didn't work. She held his shoulder with a tighter grip and shook him gently, but again there was no affect.

"Master, wake up!" Ino said loudly, but he was snarling too loud to hear her.

His teeth were now bare and she could hear a demonic rumbling coming from his throat. Ino started to feel nervous now, she could feel the sharp prickling sensation in the air that came whenever Naruto used the Kyuubi's power.

"Naruto!!" She yelled in desperation and he sprang up roaring loudly as he raised his right hand while a rasengan instantly appear in his palm.

His eyes were red and the slit-like pupils told Ino he was using the demons chakra. He panted heavily as he lowered his hand and looked around still slightly disoriented. He was covered in a cold sweat and he appeared mentally drained.

"Oh hey" He mumbled out as he put his hand on his forehead and let himself fall back against the bed.

"Are you alright?" Ino asked in concern as she watched him.

"Yeah I'm fine, I've been feeling a lot better. Listen, thanks for putting up with me" Naruto said seriously as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I wasn't going to abandon you in your time of need" Ino said as she sat on the bed next to him.

Naruto took his hands and ran them through his hair as he exhaled deeply, "I don't know what I was planning on doing, but if you didn't say anything to me I probably would have just remained in this room for as long as possible and I'm sorry for that".

"Stop apologizing, it's already in the past to me" Ino said feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I've thought a lot about what you said" Naruto commented as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What have you decided to do?" Ino asked.

"My first priority is our family. We have to do something about Hinata and the baby immediately" Naruto said determinedly as he sat back up.

"What do you have in mind?" Ino asked suddenly very anxious.

"Remember what you said before?" Naruto asked.

"About what?" Ino said confused.

"Suna" Naruto answered simply.

"Do you think they would have a cure over Konoha?" Ino asked.

"Kakashi told me there was no cure made and I probably killed everyone that was a part of the research team when I attacked Hiashi and Danzou. If Konoha doesn't have it then Suna is our best bet."

"They have always been more interested in poisons and diseases then Konoha ever was, and with Gaara's resources I'm sure we can find an answer." Naruto explained.

"So what's our first move?" Ino asked.

"I stole some blood samples from the maternity ward, and I've sent out your raven to Suna already so Gaara knows we're coming. I've spoken to Jiraiya and he said he's going to do whatever he can to help out, but in the meantime it would be best for us to try to handle this completely by ourselves."

"Jiraiya might find something useful, but this is something I have to do with my own hands" Naruto said.

"How are we going to be moving out? Should we have Kimimaro stay behind and leave with a small squad or do you think it would be better to leave them here and go in alone? If you think it would be easier to move discreetly by yourself I can take command until you return." Ino offered.

"No, I want you to come with me" Naruto said as he reached out and held her hand.

Ino was caught off guard by this, but she tried not to show it. They had always moved out either as a team or individually, it had never just been the two of them alone. It was something she didn't really like, but she accepted it as being how things were.

"Are you sure? Who are you going to leave in charge?" Ino asked trying to think of the consequences of their absence.

"All the people we have respect our goals and we are all friends, they don't need to be watched so closely. I'll leave Tayuya in charge and Hinata can help her, they will be fine." Naruto decided.

Ino smiled, "Okay, when do we leave?"

"As soon as the sun sets" Naruto said smiling back at her brightly.

She leaned over and they kissed passionately as they bathed in the warm sunlight leaking in through the open window. Ino could feel the spirit returning to Naruto and it made her so happy that she could cry.

This might be just a baby step on the road to fixing things, but as long as he was by her side it would be alright. As long as he was there for her she could achieve anything. Deep down inside she was still shaken up, but she was willing to purge those thoughts from her mind, because Naruto couldn't afford to have her giving anything less than her all.

Still, the seeds of doubt had taken root and now she realized that they were never as strong as she believed them to be. She had always seen Naruto as being almost a god when it came to raw power because of the Kyuubi and his amazing talent, but neither of those things matter anymore.

He could be taken apart just like anyone else and for someone like her, she felt like she stood no chance. She knew Naruto was several times more powerful then either her or Tayuya were so to think that the enemy excelled him, made her feel even lower.

The only thing keeping her together was the belief that Naruto would prove her wrong. That he would gain the strength to destroy whatever obstacle came their way, and not only that, but he would solve all of their problems.

This was the first step to that, he was going to prove Kakashi wrong and save Hinata and then everything would return back to the way it was. Everything would be just fine, and with Gaara's help they would overthrow Kakashi and live happily every after.

Ino knew no matter what that tragedy wouldn't befall upon them, because they were fighting for freedom and justice. They were doing the right thing and were giving their all to save people and stop corrupt tyrants.

The individual sacrifices they had made over the years would pay off. After all, the suffering and torture they had endured couldn't possibly be wasted in the end. They had left everything behind in the effort to better the world, how could things not end up right?

Justice was on their side, fate was on their side, they were going to right the world and with those thoughts in mind she knew they couldn't lose.

**A/N**: And that ends another chapter. Suna is on the way!! Which of course means we will be introduced to the Suna Nin and all the stuff. Yup, so Thanks for Reading and Don't Forget to Review. Peace.


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